2006年VOA标准英语-Norwegian Envoy Vows to Continue Peace Tal

By Patricia Nunan
New Delhi
17 April 2006
 

Erik Solheim, center, with Buddhist¹ monks² in Sri Lanka
  
  
A top Norwegian envoy³ facilitating Sri Lanka's peace talks says mediators will continue to talk to representatives of both the government and the Tamil Tigers, in an effort to save next week's planned peace talks. Erik Solheim says the responsibility for ensuring those talks take place lies with the two warring parties.

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Norwegian envoy Erik Solheim says mediators will do everything they can to encourage the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger guerrilla group to honor their commitment to hold peace talks in next week in Geneva, Switzerland.

But Solheim says if the government and the rebels, also called the LTTE, are not genuinely interested peace, there is little the Norwegian team can do.

"We will, over the next few days, be in very close touch with both the government and the LTTE to see if there is any way talks can go ahead," he said. "But it's again the responsibility of the parties to provide new ideas of how the talks can be prepared. "

On Sunday, Tamil Tiger leaders say they would not attend the talks scheduled to take place April 24 and 25 in Geneva. They say they were unable to hold key internal meetings with their commanders in the east of the country, because the Sri Lankan Navy was monitoring their movements too closely.

The Geneva meeting had originally been scheduled for earlier in the month, but was postponed⁴ when the rebels insisted that internal meetings take place.

Government officials say they are still ready for the talks to go on, but some analysts⁵ have cast doubt on their commitment. They say the government could provide a helicopter for the rebels to hold their internal meeting, but officials seem unwilling⁶ to do so.

The two sides last met face to face in February, in Geneva. Both sides reiterated⁷ their commitment to the 2002 cease-fire brokered⁸ by Norway, which had been showing signs of unraveling.

But little has changed. Roughly 70 people have died this month in another escalation⁹ of violence. Government officials say at least four soldiers died Monday when Tamil Tigers placed Claymore mines on a road where they knew troops would travel a technique they have used in the past.

For peace talks to take place, Solheim says, that has to stop - as do attacks carried out by armed groups thought to be affiliated¹⁰ with the government.

"Both sides should refrain from any sort of violence," Solheim  added."We've seen a number of Claymore attacks particularly in the last week. They also agreed that no armed group would be allowed to operate from government-controlled areas. And this clause seems not to be implemented¹¹ either."

The Tamil Tigers and the government have been locked in more than two decades of civil war. The rebels first demanded independence for areas of the country where the country's ethnic¹² Tamil minority are predominant. Later, they downgraded their demand to greater autonomy. More than 60,000 people have died in the conflict.

Months of stalemate between the two sides was complicated by disputes over the fair distribution of billions of dollars in international assistance, provided following the

December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami¹³.

1 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

2 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

4 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

5 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

6 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

7 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

8 brokered   

adj.由权力经纪人安排（或控制）的v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的过去式和过去分词 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• a peace plan brokered by the UN 由联合国出面协商的和平计划
• Your husband brokered the deal to go in, transfrer the assets and get our man out. 你丈夫后来插了一脚，把生意都抢了过去，我们的人也被挤了出来。 来自电影对白

9 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

10 affiliated   

adj. 附属的, 有关连的

参考例句：

• The hospital is affiliated with the local university. 这家医院附属于当地大学。
• All affiliated members can vote. 所有隶属成员都有投票权。

11 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

12 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

13 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。