2007年VOA标准英语-Outgoing Head of UN Mission in Ivory Coast Soun

By Nico Colombant
Dakar
07 February 2007

The outgoing head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Ivory Coast is making dire¹ predictions about the future of the divided west-African country. VOA's Nico Colombant reports from Dakar.

Pierre Schori

U.N. mission leader Pierre Schori, whose term ends this month, says many indicators² are not favorable for Ivorians.

"First, the UNDP, humanitarian³ development index, Cote d'Ivoire, has fallen to the 163rd place out of 177 countries, which is a scandal considering the country's national resources," he said. "Also, we know now that the poverty line, they have almost 45 percent below the poverty line in Cote d'Ivoire and that was just about 30 percent before the crisis."

Schori says without re-unification of the rebel-held north and government-run south, the situation will continue to worsen.

"It is an evolving humanitarian and economic social drama, which if it will continue will not only make the Ivorians more miserable⁴, but also it will have daunting⁵ repercussions⁶ in the neighboring countries," he added.

He says trust needs to be rebuilt between the warring parties to implement⁷ successive failed peace deals. A delegation⁸ of rebels and presidential advisors⁹ is meeting in Burkina Faso to set up a possible direct dialogue between President Laurent Gbagbo and rebel leader Guillaume Soro.

When asked about news reports that he had lost the trust of Mr. Gbagbo during his two years in Ivory Coast, the outgoing U.N. head had this to say.

"Well, trust you cannot measure until you see it in action," said Schori. "People say things publicly and sometimes they act differently."

He was also asked whether he would have any advice for his yet-to-be publicly named successor.

"Not really, because I have written a so-called handover report, which contains the advice I can have. It is basically a statement of fact and what the problems are, what the obstacles are, and how to move forward," he said.

This includes disarming¹⁰ rebels and militias¹¹, giving papers to many undocumented northerners, and organizing twice-delayed elections.

Meanwhile, a French diplomat¹² working for the European Union has been found shot to death in his home in downtown Abidjan. Other diplomats¹³ said it appeared his own gun had been used and that there was no forced intrusion into the home, but did not believe it was suicide.

Guards at the home said they had not heard or seen anything.

Since the start of the rebellion in Ivory Coast in late 2002, there have been several unexplained killings¹⁴ of prominent foreigners and suspected rebel sympathizers in the government-run south.

1 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

2 indicators   

（仪器上显示温度、压力、耗油量等的）指针( indicator的名词复数 )； 指示物； （车辆上的）转弯指示灯； 指示信号

参考例句：

• The economic indicators are better than expected. 经济指标比预期的好。
• It is still difficult to develop indicators for many concepts used in social science. 为社会科学领域的许多概念确立一个指标仍然很难。

3 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。

4 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

5 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

6 repercussions   

n.后果，反响( repercussion的名词复数 )；余波

参考例句：

• The collapse of the company will have repercussions for the whole industry. 这家公司的垮台将会给整个行业造成间接的负面影响。
• Human acts have repercussions far beyond the frontiers of the human world. 人类行为所产生的影响远远超出人类世界的范围。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

8 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。

9 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

10 disarming   

adj.消除敌意的，使人消气的v.裁军( disarm的现在分词 )；使息怒

参考例句：

• He flashed her a disarming smile. 他朝她笑了一下，让她消消气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We will agree to disarming troops and leaving their weapons at military positions. 我们将同意解除军队的武装并把武器留在军事阵地。 来自辞典例句

11 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

12 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。

13 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》

14 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。