2007年VOA标准英语-US Lawmaker, US Envoy Urge Action on Darfur

By Dan Robinson
Capitol Hill
08 February 2007

An influential¹ lawmaker says the United States and its international partners need to plan for possible deployment² of a peacekeeping force to protect civilians³ in Darfur, without the permission of Sudan's government, if diplomacy⁴ fails. Congressman⁵ Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, made the statement at a hearing where President Bush's envoy⁶ for Sudan addressed the humanitarian⁷ and military situation on the ground and the issue of U.S. sanctions.  VOA's Dan Robinson reports from Capitol Hill:

Young girl washes plates for her family in North Darfur refugee camp of El Sallam

The United States has led diplomatic efforts on Darfur, provided some $2.7 billion in humanitarian aid, and played a key role in the Darfur Peace Agreement, as well as the larger Comprehensive Peace Agreement for Sudan.

However, with Khartoum still resisting a third phase of a plan for deployment of a combined United Nations - African Union force, Congressman Lantos believes there needs to be an alternative plan.
 
President Bush, he says, should call a summit to discuss effective multilateral sanctions, and the U.S. and its partners should plan for a military force over Khartoum's objections:

"The United States must therefore work with the United Nations, African Union and our allies to prepare a contingency⁸ plan for the entry of a protection force into Darfur without the Sudanese government's permission," he said.

Inserting military forces in Darfur unilaterally is not something U.S. defense⁹ officials say they are planning.  A defense official confirmed that this week to VOA's Pentagon correspondent, saying the focus is on diplomacy.

But U.S. Sudan envoy Andrew Natsios confirmed to the House Foreign Affairs Committee the Bush administration is considering wide-ranging financial and other sanctions aimed at blocking commercial bank transactions by Khartoum, including oil deals.

He declined to give details of what he describes as other sensitive aspects of the plan, but did offer some details about U.S. military observers sent to the Sudan-Chad border as part of a combined U.S. disaster response team assessing the situation there:

"This instability is very dangerous, very dangerous," he noted¹⁰.  "It is also destabilizing the Central African Republic at this point.  So we did have military officers there and they did do this assessment¹¹ and there is going to be a follow-up to the findings for humanitarian purposes, and so let me just leave it at that in terms of the things I can discuss publicly."

Natsios says the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate¹², with malnutrition¹³ rates in three large refugee camps at emergency levels, above 20 percent, and violence directed at aid organizations:

"And the Janjaweed [Khartoum-supported Arab] militia¹⁴ is paid, directed and equipped by the Sudanese government," he added.  "They are out of control in some areas of Darfur."

The U.S. envoy says violence involves not only directed targeting by Arab militias¹⁵ but looting by rebel groups in Darfur, which has created 350,000 internally displaced people since May of 2006.

Natsios says he hopes U.N. envoys¹⁶ Jan Eliasson and Salim Salim can make some headway when they visit Khartoum on the question of a ceasefire, adding that he intends to return to Beijing for more talks with China on Darfur.

1 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

2 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

3 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。

4 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。

5 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

6 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。

7 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。

8 contingency   

n.意外事件，可能性

参考例句：

• We should be prepared for any contingency.我们应该对任何应急情况有所准备。
• A fire in our warehouse was a contingency that we had not expected.库房的一场大火是我们始料未及的。

9 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

10 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

11 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

12 deteriorate   

v.变坏；恶化；退化

参考例句：

• Do you think relations between China and Japan will continue to deteriorate?你认为中日关系会继续恶化吗？
• He held that this would only cause the situation to deteriorate further.他认为，这只会使局势更加恶化。

13 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

14 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

15 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

16 envoys   

使节( envoy的名词复数 )； 公使； 谈判代表； 使节身份

参考例句：

• the routine tit for tat when countries expel each other's envoys 国家相互驱逐对方使节这种惯常的报复行动
• Marco Polo's travelogue mentions that Kublai Khan sent envoys to Malgache. 马可波罗游记中提到忽必烈曾派使节到马尔加什。