2007年VOA标准英语-EU Envoy to Sudan Urges All Parties in Darfur t

By Noel King
Khartoum
13 January 2007

The international community is continuing its push for a political solution to the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region. The European Union's special representative to Sudan says efforts are under way to sign holdout Darfuri rebels onto the Darfur Peace Agreement, as Noel King reports for VOA from Khartoum. 

EU Special Representative Pekka Haavisto says Darfur rebels and the government of Sudan are renewing efforts to hash out an acceptable Darfur peace deal.
 
Haavisto told reporters in Khartoum that he is optimistic a political solution to the crisis can be found.

"We have finally got the political track moving again," he said.  "There is now a clear perspective that new talks and new engagements will start with non-signatories of the DPA."

Only one faction¹ of Darfur's rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) signed on to the May 5 African Union-brokered agreement.
 
Another faction of the SLA, along with the rebel Justice and Equality Movement refused to sign.
 
Last year, several rebel factions² combined to form the National Redemption Front, a powerful resistance movement, which has refused the Darfur peace deal. 
 
Holdout rebels say the current peace agreement does not meet their demands for equitable³ sharing of wealth and power.
 
But Sudan has long insisted it will not amend⁴ the accord, casting some doubt on the viability⁵ of renewed talks.
 
Haavisto urged rebels to consider their demands. "I think the message from the international community is that they have to be very reasonable in their claims. Maybe here and there some amendments⁶ and additions can be made, but basically many of the concerns are already included in the Darfur Peace Agreement," he added.

Bill Richardson (l) meets with Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir (r) in Khartoum, 8 Jan 2007

On Wednesday, visiting U.S. envoy⁷ Bill Richardson, governor of the U.S. state of New Mexico, issued a joint⁸ statement with Sudanese President Omer Al Bashir, announcing that Darfur rebel commanders and the Sudanese government had agreed to a 60-day ceasefire.
 
It is unclear when the ceasefire will begin.
 
The Darfur conflict will soon enter its fourth year.
 
Sudan is charged with arming militias⁹, called janjaweed, to crush a 2003 rebellion using a savage¹⁰ campaign of rape¹¹ and murder, targeting civilians¹².
 
At least 200,000 people are believed to have died, with more than 2.5 million more displaced in Darfur and eastern Chad.

1 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

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 equitable   

adj.公平的；公正的

参考例句：

• This is an equitable solution to the dispute. 这是对该项争议的公正解决。
• Paying a person what he has earned is equitable. 酬其应得,乃公平之事。

4 amend   

vt.修改，修订，改进；n.[pl.]赔罪，赔偿

参考例句：

• The teacher advised him to amend his way of living.老师劝他改变生活方式。
• You must amend your pronunciation.你必须改正你的发音。

5 viability   

n.存活(能力)

参考例句：

• What is required to achieve or maintain such viability? 要达到或维持这种生存能力需要什么？
• Scientists are experimenting to find ways to ensure the viability of seeds for even longer periods of time. 正如我们所说，科学家正在试验努力寻找让种子的生命力更加延长的方法。

6 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

7 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。

8 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

9 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

10 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

11 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

12 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。