2006年VOA标准英语-Senior Palestinian-Israeli Officials Meet

By Challiss McDonough
Sharm El-Sheikh
21 May 2006

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, left, meets with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni  
  
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has met with senior Israeli officials for the first time in months. The talks took place on the sidelines of an economic meeting in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.

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It was the first time Mr. Abbas met new Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, and the first time he had met with any senior Israeli leaders in nearly a year.

Israel froze talks with the Palestinian government, after the Islamic militant¹ group, Hamas, won an upset victory in January's election.

Senior Palestinian officials characterized the meeting as exploratory, or just the beginning of a resumption of dialogue.

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Shimon Peres was also in the meeting. He said the talks took place in what he called a good atmosphere.

"Very friendly, very open," said Shimon Peres. "We did not come to commit ourselves. Neither did the Palestinians come to commit themselves. But as a preparation and an opening, particularly on the economic side, where we were more specific, I think it was useful."

Mr. Abbas said he expects to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert when Mr. Olmert returns from his visit this week to Washington.

The Palestinian leader also said he is starting a dialogue with Hamas leaders in the next few days, in an effort to end violence in the Gaza Strip among rival Palestinian factions². He called it a crisis.

He says civil war is a red line that nobody dares to cross, no matter what side they are on. He says civil war is forbidden.

Hamas and Mr. Abbas' Fatah party are battling - sometimes violently - over control of the security apparatus³ in Gaza.

Israeli officials described the talks in Sharm El-Sheikh as an effort to avert⁴ a humanitarian⁵ disaster in the Palestinian territories.

The Palestinian Authority is facing a fiscal⁶ crisis. Western countries have withdrawn⁷ their financial backing for the Palestinian government, since Hamas refuses to recognize Israel and renounce⁸ violence.

Israeli officials say they have released $11 million in Palestinian tax revenues that they had frozen in response to the Hamas victory.

Mr. Abbas also met on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum⁹ with the prime minister of Malaysia, Abdullah Ahmed Badawi. The Malaysian leader pledged $16 million to fund the Palestinian local government operations for the rest of the year.

"We want to assure that the bureaucracy works," said Abdullah Ahmed Badawi. "If it does not work, then of course, it cannot provide the services the people need."

It is not clear how the Malaysian funds will be transferred to the Palestinian Authority. Mr. Badawi said the details will be worked out when a senior Palestinian delegation¹⁰ visits Kuala Lumpur, which he hopes will be soon.

Mr. Badawi is the current chair of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. He urged the 56 other OIC members to find ways of supporting the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people.

1 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

2 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

3 apparatus   

n.装置，器械；器具，设备

参考例句：

• The school's audio apparatus includes films and records.学校的视听设备包括放映机和录音机。
• They had a very refined apparatus.他们有一套非常精良的设备。

4 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。

5 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

6 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

7 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

8 renounce   

v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系

参考例句：

• She decided to renounce the world and enter a convent.她决定弃绝尘世去当修女。
• It was painful for him to renounce his son.宣布与儿子脱离关系对他来说是很痛苦的。

9 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

10 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。