2007年VOA标准英语-High-Ranking American Envoy Calls for 'Action'

By Noel King
Khartoum
16 April 2007

 

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, John Negroponte, on Monday, charged Sudan with actively¹ supporting Darfur's feared Arab militias² known as janjaweed. Negroponte called on Sudan to disarm³ the militias, which have laid waste to civilian⁴ villages across Darfur. For VOA, Noel King has more from Khartoum.

 

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte talks to reporters during a press conference ending a three day visit to Sudan, in Khartoum, Monday, 16 Apr 2007

Negroponte's remark linking the janjaweed with the Sudanese government is one of the toughest accusations⁵ ever to come out of Washington.

Speaking at the end of a three-day visit to Sudan, the deputy secretary of state said the government must clamp down on the janjaweed, the rebel group that International Criminal Court has blamed for numerous cases of killing⁶, rape⁷, arson⁸ and looting in the western Sudanese region for the past four years.

 

"The government of Sudan must disarm the janjaweed-the Arab militias that we all know could not exist without the Sudanese government's active support," he said.

 

Negroponte also told reporters that Sudan faced "continued and possibly even intensified⁹ international isolation¹⁰" if it did not move quickly to implement¹¹ a U.N. plan for revamping the African Union peacekeeping operation in Darfur.

 

The international community has called for U.N. intervention¹² in the region to bolster¹³ the 7,000-member African Union mission, currently on the ground. The A.U. has struggled amid often chaotic¹⁴ violence that has cost an estimated 200,000 lives.

 

Negroponte spoke¹⁵ to reporters in Khartoum on Monday following meetings with Sudanese President Omer Al Bashir.

 

"We must move quickly to a larger, hybrid¹⁶ United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force with a single unified¹⁷ chain of command that conforms to United Nations standards and practices," he said.

Meanwhile, Sudan's foreign minister, Lam Akol, reportedly agreed to the second phase of a proposed three-phase U.N. support package.

 

The second phase will deploy¹⁸ 3,000 U.N. peacekeepers to Darfur, backed by heavy equipment, including attack helicopters.

 

But observers - including the United States - have wondered if Sudan is merely buying time.

 

For months, Sudan has wavered on the question of U.N. support, at times indicating that it will accept a sizable UN force and, at others, comparing UN entry to colonial occupation.

 

"There have been disappointments in the past, where agreements have been made, but then not necessarily carried out," he said. "What I would stress at this particular point is that it is the actions that are required and that words are not sufficient."

 

The U.S. has threatened unilateral sanctions against Sudan, but this week said it will hold off on imposing¹⁹ sanctions to give the UN more time to negotiate with Sudan.

 

Mr. Negroponte leaves Sudan for Chad Monday. He will also visit Libya and Mauritania.

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 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

3 disarm   

v.解除武装，回复平常的编制，缓和

参考例句：

• The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. 全世界等待伊拉克解除武装已有12年之久。
• He has rejected every peaceful opportunity offered to him to disarm.他已经拒绝了所有能和平缴械的机会。

4 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

5 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

6 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

7 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。

8 arson   

n.纵火，放火

参考例句：

• He was serving a ten spot for arson.他因纵火罪在服十年徒刑。
• He was arraigned on a charge of arson.他因被指控犯纵火罪而被传讯。

9 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

11 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。

12 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

13 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

14 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

15 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

16 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

17 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

18 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

19 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。