2006年VOA标准英语-Congo Sets Up Commission to Probe Post-Election

By Joe Bavier
Abidjan
29 August 2006
 

Joseph Kabila  
  
Senior representatives for Congo's President Joseph Kabila and Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba have met in Kinshasa to set up a commission to investigate post-election violence earlier this month. The two men will face off in an October presidential runoff election, raising fears the polls could lead to more deaths. Joe Bavier has this report for VOA with additional reporting by Eddy¹ Isango in Kinshasa.

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Fighting in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, began just as results from the country's first-round presidential election were due to be announced earlier this month. Street battles raged for three days between President Joseph Kabila's guard and Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba's personal security detail, claiming at least 20 lives.

Deputy spokesman for Congo's U.N. peacekeeping mission, Jean-Tobie Okala, says the panel, which was set up with the participation² of both Kabila and Bemba supporters, is expected to shed some light on the events. "Both parties agreed to create, to set up, two sub commissions. The first one will be in charge of establishing the facts, what happened exactly, why did this happen, how can we prevent that such events occur again."

 
Main challenger former Uganda-backed rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba casts his vote 
  
Both camps accuse each other of starting the violence and had avoided meeting. They agreed earlier to confine their soldiers to barracks, but the truce³ has not been fully⁴ respected. Bemba and Mr. Kabila themselves have not met face to face.

Okala says the head of the U.N. mission in Congo, William Swing, and others have urged the two to resolve their differences before the October 29 run-off election. "Not only Ambassador Swing, Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the whole international community urge the two candidates to meet. Even the Congolese people. It is something that they have to do, and we are confident that they will meet."

Congo's July 30 presidential elections were meant to draw a definitive⁵ close to a volatile⁶ period that led to the deaths of an estimated four million people during two successive civil wars.

1 eddy   

n.漩涡，涡流

参考例句：

• The motor car disappeared in eddy of dust.汽车在一片扬尘的涡流中不见了。
• In Taylor's picture,the eddy is the basic element of turbulence.在泰勒的描述里，旋涡是湍流的基本要素。

2 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

3 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

6 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。