2006年VOA标准英语-Sudan Agrees to Release Jailed American Journal

By Noel King
Khartoum
08 September 2006

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has secured the release of Paul Salopek, an American reporter currently imprisoned¹ in Sudan's Darfur region. Noel King reports Richardson arrived in the capital Khartoum for talks with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Friday.

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Paul Salopek will be released into the custody² of a delegation³ led by Governor Bill Richardson Saturday.

Salopek had been charged with spying and entering Sudan without a visa.  

negotiations4 to release Paul Salopek and two Chadians jailed on charges of espionage5 in Khartoum, Sept. 8, 2006" src="/upimg/allimg/070418/1429040.jpg" width="210" border="0" /> Bill Richardson, left, and President Omar Bashir, right, during negotiations to release Paul Salopek and two Chadians jailed on charges of espionage in Khartoum, Sept. 8, 2006

Richardson told VOA from the Sudanese capital Khartoum that he is elated to have negotiated the release of Salopek and the Chadian driver and interpreter who were arrested and charged along with him.

"The good news is that Paul Salopek and the two Chadians are going to be released to me tomorrow. I had a meeting with President Bashir moments after I arrived in Khartoum. I made a strong pitch on the basis of humanitarian⁶ grounds that Paul Salopek is not a spy, he's a distinguished⁷ journalist. President Bashir was gracious and said he would release him to me tomorrow [Saturday]."

Salopek, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winning foreign correspondent with the Chicago Tribune was arrested in Darfur in early August. He was on leave from the Tribune, and on assignment for National Geographic⁸ magazine.

Salopek crossed into Sudan from neighboring Chad without a visa and was subsequently charged with spying and printing false information about Sudan.

Tensions have run high between the U.S. and Sudan in recent weeks, as Washington has pushed for a United Nations force to enter the war-torn Darfur region.

Sudan has refused to allow the U.N. peacekeepers into Darfur and has accused the U.S. of plotting a regime change.

Richardson described his negotiations with President al-Bashir as friendly. He called Salopek's case a humanitarian issue rather than a political one.

"If we use diplomacy⁹ and we use international understanding and recognize each other's differences, we have huge differences with Sudan," he said. "But on this humanitarian issue, Paul Salopek will be a free man tomorrow."

The delegation will pick Salopek up in the Darfuri capital El Fasher, before returning to New Mexico.

The Chadian driver and interpreter who accompanied Salopek will be allowed to return to Chad.

Friday's trip to Khartoum was not a first for Richardson. In 1996, he helped to negotiate the release of three Red Cross workers who were being held by rebels in Sudan.

1 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

2 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

3 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。

4 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

5 espionage   

n.间谍行为，谍报活动

参考例句：

• The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage.官方已经逮捕了几个涉嫌从事间谍活动的人。
• Neither was there any hint of espionage in Hanley's early life.汉利的早期生活也毫无进行间谍活动的迹象。

6 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。

7 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

8 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

9 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。