2006年VOA标准英语-Senior UN Envoy Meets Burma's Detained Opp

By Ron Corben
Bangkok
20 May 2006

A senior U.N. envoy¹ has met with Burma's detained opposition² leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. The envoy is the first high-ranking U.N. official to be allowed into Burma in more than two years.

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Aung San Suu Kyi  
  

It was the first time that Burma's detained democratic opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been allowed to meet foreign visitors in more than two years.

The hour-long meeting with the United Nations envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, took place at a guesthouse in Rangoon Saturday.

There were no immediate³ details from the meeting.

Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate and leader of the National League for Democracy, has spent 10 of the last 16 years mostly under house arrest. 

Her plight⁴ has become a symbol of the repressiveness of Burma's military government.

Before the meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi, Gambari held talks with Burma's senior leader, General Than Shwe, in the new administrative⁵ capital of Naypyidaw, 400 kilometers north of Rangoon.

 
Ibrahim Gambari (file photo) 
  
Gambari is the first high-ranking U.N. official allowed into Burma in more than two years.  The United Nations is pressing Burma's military to move ahead with long promised democratic reforms.

Burma proposed a "road map" to democracy in 2003 under former Prime Minister Khin Nyunt. But the process stalled, after Khin Nyunt was ousted⁶ from the military leadership in 2004.

U Lwin, a senior opposition party member who also met with Gambari Friday, says it is not clear if this U.N. visit will produce immediate results.

"Depending on the meeting with the various agencies, and probably they would like to talk again with this regime [on reforms]," he said.

Carl Thayer, a lecturer at the Australian Defense⁷ Force Academy, remains⁸ pessimistic U.N. pressure will lead the military to move on political reforms.

"I don't see any signs that the Burmese, that they are going to be moved," said Mr. Thayer.  "Anybody inside the regime with Khin Nyunt, that was looking to open up, have either all been put in jail or marginalized."

Gambari was scheduled to brief diplomats⁹ and representatives of U.N. agencies on Saturday night before departing Burma.

The international community has kept up pressure on the military government to reform after decades of rule. The United States and European Union maintain economic sanctions.

And, members of the Association of South East Asian Nations, of which Burma is a member, have broken with their policy of non-interference, and called for a political transition in Burma.

1 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。

2 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

3 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

4 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

5 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

6 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》