2007年VOA标准英语-UN Chief Says Darfur Remains his Highest Priori

By Sonja Pace
London
11 July 2007

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says stopping the killing¹ and finding a political solution in the Darfur region of Sudan remain his highest priorities. VOA's Sonja Pace reports from London, the U.N. chief has been meeting with Middle East peace envoy² Tony Blair.

Ban Ki-moon at London's Chatham House, 11 Jul 2007

Speaking at London's prestigious³ Chatham House research center, U.N. chief, Ban Ki-moon described the humanitarian⁴ crisis in Darfur as "devastating," and said the world can no longer accept further delays in the peace process.

"The tragic⁵ cycle of violence has been allowed to continue for too long," he said. "I think the people in Darfur have suffered too much. The international community has waited too long."

After increasing international pressure, the Sudanese government last month agreed to allow a combined 20,000-strong peacekeeping force, made up of the U.N. and the African Union, into Darfur. Mr. Ban said this was progress.

Condoleezza Rice

Speaking in Washington Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned, however, that the Khartoum government must not be allowed to continue playing what she called a cat and mouse game over ending the violence.

It is estimated that some 200,000 people have died in Darfur's ethnic⁶ and political conflict since 2003.

In London, Mr. Ban also met with the new Middle East peace envoy Tony Blair. Mr. Blair has been named the representative of the Middle East Quartet, which is made up of the United States, the European Union, the U.N. and Russia.

Mr. Ban said there is widespread concern about the Palestinian factional fighting and the deteriorating⁷ humanitarian situation in Gaza. He also expressed concern over the divisive political situation in Lebanon and the ongoing⁸ violence in Iraq. And he issued a warning.

"However [much] military action may be effective, there is always a limitation unless they are accompanied by political dialogue and reconciliation⁹ amongst themselves," he said.

Mr. Ban cited a number of other global issues the U.N. is dealing¹⁰ with, including North Korea, Iran and terrorism. And he cited another problem that, he said, concerns all of mankind - climate change.

"I'm convinced that this challenge and what we do about it will define us, our era and ultimately our global legacy," said Ban.

Mr. Ban cautioned that the U.N. cannot be everywhere and cannot provide all the answers, but he said it can provide a forum¹¹ for finding solutions.

1 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。

2 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。

3 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

4 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。

5 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

6 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

7 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

8 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。

9 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。

10 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

11 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。