VOA常速英语2007年-Expelled UN, EU Diplomats Leave Afghanistan

By Ayaz Gul
Islamabad
27 December 2007

Two diplomats² from the United Nations and European Union have left Afghanistan after local authorities ordered their expulsion for allegedly holding unauthorized talks with Taliban insurgents³. From neighboring Pakistan, VOA's Ayaz Gul reports, U.N. officials have rejected the allegations as a "minor⁴ misunderstanding."

The two diplomats expelled by the Afghan government are a British employee of the United Nations, Mervyn Patterson, and the acting⁵ head of the European Union mission in Kabul, Irishman Michael Semple.

They are accused of posing a threat to national security for holding unauthorized meetings with Taliban insurgents in the troubled province of Helmand. The southern Afghan region has seen frequent militant⁶ attacks and is known as a major drug producing province.

U.N. and EU officials reject Afghan allegations that the diplomats were indulging in any unauthorized activity.

Aleem Siddique is the Kabul-based spokesman for the United Nations. He says his agency's diplomat¹ traveled to the Helmand region to speak to local community leaders as part of efforts to bring as many Afghans as possible into the national reconciliation⁷ process.

"It is unfortunate that those efforts seem to have been misconstrued by the Afghan authorities. And that is something that we are trying to rectify⁸ with the Afghan authorities in the meanwhile… although we do not feel that there is any real basis for such a decision [to expel the diplomats]," he said.

For the last 10 months, there have been repeated military operations in the Helmand region, in addition to Taliban activities. Siddique says these have badly affected⁹ the people in the area, and it is important to speak with them and address their concerns, so they can become part of national reconciliation efforts.

"But that does not mean that we are talking to terrorists, that does not mean that we are talking to human rights violators; what that does mean is that we are trying to bring as many people under the big tent of the government of Afghanistan to support the ongoing¹⁰ peace process in this country," he said.

The two expelled diplomats are seen as the most respected and knowledgeable¹¹ foreign experts on Afghan affairs, and have been working in the country for more than a decade.

U.N. spokesman Siddique says efforts are currently under way to secure their return to Afghanistan to strengthen the reconstruction¹² and development process.

1 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。

2 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

4 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

5 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

6 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

7 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

8 rectify   

v.订正，矫正，改正

参考例句：

• The matter will rectify itself in a few days.那件事过几天就会变好。
• You can rectify this fault if you insert a slash.插人一条斜线便可以纠正此错误。

9 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

10 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

11 knowledgeable   

adj.知识渊博的；有见识的

参考例句：

• He's quite knowledgeable about the theatre.他对戏剧很有心得。
• He made some knowledgeable remarks at the meeting.他在会上的发言颇有见地。

12 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。