2006年VOA标准英语-E. Timor's New PM Vows to Improve Security and

By Chad Bouchard
Jakarta
10 July 2006

East Timor's new Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta gestures as he speaks during a press conference after his swearing in ceremony in Dili, East Timor, Monday, July 10, 2006  
  
East Timor's newly appointed interim¹ prime minister, Jose Ramos-Horta, has taken the oath of office, swearing to restore unity² and speed up development in the troubled Southeast Asian nation. 

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East Timorese Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta says he aims to improve internal security and restore hope to the nation after weeks of unrest.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate made his comments after a brief inauguration³ ceremony in the capital, Dili. He told reporters he planned to consolidate⁴ the security forces, and hoped that thousands of Timorese refugees would soon feel safe enough to return home.

An estimated 150,000 people have been living outside Dili since street violence broke out between rival military factions⁵ earlier this year. Scores of people were killed in the fighting.

Mr. Ramos-Horta, previously⁶ foreign minister, was named to his new post Saturday by President Xanana Gusmao. At his swearing-in, he said he would work to speed up the tiny country's development.

"We will work very hard, fast, with the assistance of the World Bank, so that the budget that is allocated⁷ for assisting the development in rural areas, assisting the poor, development of infrastructure⁸, all that can be expedited," he said.

He earlier said he is aiming to restore East Timorese faith in the country's state institutions and political leaders, with the help of international peacekeeping forces.

He replaces former Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, who resigned amid allegations he helped to arm militia⁹ during the chaos¹⁰ that paralyzed Dili in May. More than 2,000 foreign troops, mostly from Australia, were called in to restore calm.

Mr. Ramos-Horta has been touted¹¹ as a unifying¹² force. He is not a member of the Fretilin Party, which holds a majority in parliament, but has agreed to share leadership with two vice¹³ presidents from that caucus¹⁴.

Tim Anderson, a political economist¹⁵ who lectures on East Timor at the University of Sydney, says the prime minister's proven abilities provide hope for the country's future.

"... I think Ramos-Horta, given that he is a brilliant diplomat¹⁶ and that he is in the past managed to accommodate, certainly, powerful interests, I think the hope is that he will help restore some stability," said Anderson.

The country's leaders must now finish choosing a cabinet to run the interim government. A government spokesman says the remaining ministers will be sworn in Wednesday.

Mr. Ramos-Horta garnered¹⁷ a Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 for his part in East Timor's campaign for independence from Indonesia, which ruled the territory for 24 years. He is expected to stay at his post until elections next May.

1 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

2 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

3 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

4 consolidate   

v.使加固，使加强；(把...)联为一体，合并

参考例句：

• The two banks will consolidate in July next year. 这两家银行明年7月将合并。
• The government hoped to consolidate ten states to form three new ones.政府希望把十个州合并成三个新的州。

5 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

6 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

7 allocated   

adj. 分配的 动词allocate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The Ford Foundation allocated millions of dollars for cancer research. 福特基金会拨款数百万美元用于癌症研究。
• More funds will now be allocated to charitable organizations. 现在会拨更多的资金给慈善组织。

8 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

9 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

10 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

11 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

12 unifying   

使联合( unify的现在分词 )； 使相同； 使一致； 统一

参考例句：

• In addition, there were certain religious bonds of a unifying kind. 此外，他们还有某种具有一种统一性质的宗教上的结合。
• There is a unifying theme, and that is the theme of information flow within biological systems. 我们可以用一个总的命题，把生物学系统内的信息流来作为这一研究主题。

13 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

14 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

15 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

16 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

17 garnered   

v.收集并（通常）贮藏（某物），取得，获得( garner的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Mr. Smith gradually garnered a national reputation as a financial expert. 史密斯先生逐渐赢得全国金融专家的声誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals. 他的提议得到了广泛的支持。 来自辞典例句