VOA常速英语2007-Mongolia, US Sign Developmental Aid Agreement

By Andre de Nesnera
Washington
23 October 2007

Mongolia and the United States have signed an agreement providing Ulaanbaatar with $285 million worth of developmental aid. In an interview with senior correspondent André de Nesnera, Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar talks about the accord and his country's political and economic development.

President Enkhbayar says democratic institutions in his country are taking hold.

"We have a multi-party system and we have a parliament very actively¹ working and the government very actively working," said President Enkhbayar. "NGOs [non-governmental organizations] and newspapers and television channels expressing their views on the work we are doing as elected representatives of the people. So there are strong democratic institutions."

Free democratic elections were first held in Mongolia in July 1990 after decades of communist rule. And Mr. Enkhbayar was elected president in June 2005.

While his country is moving forward democratically, President Enkhbayar says it needs help in another area.

"In terms of economic achievements we still need better results - still unemployment and poverty is a main concern for the government of Mongolia, so we have to focus now more on economic development issues," said Nambaryn Enkhbayar.

Mr. Enkhbayar was in Washington to sign an agreement setting up U.S. development aid through the Millennium² Challenge Corporation. The organization helps developing countries that enact³ specific political and economic reforms.

The Mongolian president says his country will now get $285 million over the next five years to help in such areas as education, vocational training, health projects and rail transportation.

Mr. Enkhbayar says his country also needs help to ease its suffering from the ravages⁴ of climate change. He says the three years from 1999 to 2002 were particularly grueling as Mongolia was hit by severe winters and devastating⁵ summer droughts.

" And we lost about 12.5 million heads of cattle," he said. "And if you presume that about an average of 200 heads of cattle per one family or one household in the countryside - it means that 60,000 families were left without their domestic animals. And if you presume that there are about - on average - four or five people living in one family, it means that 300,000 people out of 2.5 million people were left without any source of income."

Mr. Enkhbayar says for a land-locked nation such as Mongolia, the issue of climate change is not just a matter of debate - it has become an issue of survival.

On the foreign policy front, the Mongolian leader says he has to navigate⁶ carefully because his country's neighbors are China and Russia. He says through its so-called "third neighbor policy" Mongolia is expanding its relations with Moscow and Beijing.

Mr. Enkhbayar notes that this year marks the 20th anniversary of relations between the United States and Mongolia.

"20 years is enough time to show that Mongolia and the United States have become very good friends and we are grateful that the United States was always assisting us when we started all the changes in the early 1990s toward democracy and market-oriented economy," said President Enkhbayar.

The Mongolian president expressed the hope that in the next 15 years, his country would make great economic strides as it continues to strengthen democratic institutions.

1 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

2 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

3 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

4 ravages   

劫掠后的残迹，破坏的结果，毁坏后的残迹

参考例句：

• the ravages of war 战争造成的灾难
• It is hard for anyone to escape from the ravages of time. 任何人都很难逃避时间的摧残。

5 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

6 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。