2007年VOA标准英语-Congo Opposition Wants Solution to Bemba Proble

By Joe Bavier
Kinshasa
11 June 2007

Congo 's main opposition¹ party, the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC), has called for a political solution to allow the return of its leader Jean-Pierre Bemba, the party said in a statement. The ex-warlord has lived in Portugal since his personal guard clashed with government soldiers in March, killing² hundreds. Joe Bavier is in the capital, Kinshasa , and has more for VOA.

Jean-Pierre Bemba (file photo)

Jean-Pierre Bemba, elected a senator after losing landmark³ presidential elections in 2006, was granted a 60-day leave of absence by the Senate leadership in early April, officially to seek medical treatment in Portugal .

However, at the time it was widely viewed as a face-saving move.

Bemba left Congo April 11 after nearly three weeks holed up in the South African embassy, saying troops loyal to President Joseph Kabila were trying to kill him. The deadline for his return was Saturday.

A Bemba advisor⁴ told VOA over the weekend that measures necessary to ensure his security were not in place.

The statement said Bemba's return was essential to the consolidation⁵ of Congo 's young democracy, which held its first democratic polls in more than four decades last year.

"The political bureau of the MLC calls upon the head of state and all those who believe in the virtues⁶ of democracy, within the national and international communities, to get involved in the search for political and practical ways leading to this return," the statement read.

Mr. Kabila and his government have placed blame for the violence on Bemba.

In March, Congo 's public prosecutor⁷ requested the Senate lift the immunity⁸ Bemba enjoys as a senator so he could be prosecuted⁹ as the "intellectual author" of the violence. However, the Senate, which held its first session late last month, has yet to take a decision on Bemba's fate.

Bemba's refusal to return to Congo within the 60-day period granted him means he may risk losing his seat in the Senate and the immunity that comes with it.

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 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。

3 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

4 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

5 consolidation   

n.合并,巩固

参考例句：

• The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民，对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• The state ensures the consolidation and growth of the state economy. 国家保障国营经济的巩固和发展。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法

6 virtues   

美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处

参考例句：

• Doctors often extol the virtues of eating less fat. 医生常常宣扬少吃脂肪的好处。
• She delivered a homily on the virtues of family life. 她进行了一场家庭生活美德方面的说教。

7 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

8 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

9 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。