2007年VOA标准英语-S. Koreans Ask for US 'Flexibility' in Afghanis

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
01 August 2007

South Koreans have begun appealing for U.S. help in freeing 21 Korean hostages facing death threats in Afghanistan. Families of the hostages and Korean government officials are urging Washington to adjust its policy against negotiating with the Taleban, but U.S. officials say that will not happen. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from the South Korean capital.

Protesters hold pictures of 21 South Korean hostages held in Afghanistan during anti-war and anti-US rally, 01 Aug 2007

Another deadline passed Wednesday with no word on the fate of 21 surviving hostages kidnapped almost two weeks ago by Taleban insurgents¹ in Afghanistan.

The insurgents have executed two hostages over the past six days, and warned of more killings² if Taleban comrades are not released from Afghan prisons. Families of the hostages have begun directing an emotional appeal squarely at the United States.

Standing³ alongside other hostage family members in front of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul Wednesday, Lee Chae-bok urges Washington to consider Koreans' views, and help to resolve the situation in a humanitarian⁴ way.

The families handed a petition to U.S. diplomats⁵ asking for Washington to help strike a deal with the Taleban kidnappers⁶.

The U.S. government was among those that were sharply critical earlier this year when the Afghan government arranged a swap⁷ of five Taleban prisoners for an Italian journalist taken hostage. U.S. officials argued then that such concessions⁸ send a message to terrorists that hostage-taking is beneficial, raising the likelihood of future abductions.

U.S. State Department Spokesman Tom Casey told reporters Tuesday that Washington does not make concessions to terrorists, and is unlikely to do so.

"I think U.S. policy, again, is longstanding," Casey said. "It's been there for many, many years and I don't see any indication that we're going to be changing that any time soon."

That argument may ring hollow for some South Koreans in the emotion of the moment. Jang Do-jeong, a man in his 20s, attended Wednesday's gathering¹⁰ of families at the U.S. Embassy, carrying a sign that said "Bush, talk to the Taleban." He says he is angry at the United States, and that he is not alone.

He says if more Korean hostages are harmed, there will be a surge of South Korean anger and protests against the United States.

Pleas to the U.S. are not coming just from the Korean public. Members of South Korea's two main political parties, usually fierce rivals, issued a joint¹¹ statement Wednesday calling on the United States and the United Nations to "shift their stance and help prevent these imminent¹² killings."

For the second time this week, South Korean presidential spokesman Chun Ho-seon said Wednesday that some U.S. "flexibility¹³" would be welcome.

He says Seoul respects the general policies of the U.S. and Afghan governments, but urges them to take "flexible action from a humanitarian perspective."

Earlier Wednesday, family members spoke⁹ to the media at the South Korean Christian¹⁴ church that dispatched the group to Afghanistan for aid work. Kim Taek-kyoung, mother of one of the hostages, issued her own emotional plea for U.S. involvement.

She says she wants to meet with President Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. She wishes she could go get her daughter, and would rather be killed herself by the insurgents than see her daughter die.

The United States led a multinational¹⁵ force that toppled the Taleban regime in Afghanistan soon after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 on New York and Washington. The U.S. dominates international efforts to stabilize¹⁶ the country, and South Korea has contributed several hundred non-combat personnel to the effort.

1 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

2 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。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

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 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》

6 kidnappers   

n.拐子，绑匪( kidnapper的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They were freed yesterday by their kidnappers unharmed. 他们昨天被绑架者释放了，没有受到伤害。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The kidnappers had threatened to behead all four unless their jailed comrades were released. 帮匪们曾经威胁说如果印度方面不释放他们的同伙，他们就要将这四名人质全部斩首。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 swap   

n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易

参考例句：

• I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
• This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。

8 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

9 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。

10 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

11 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

12 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

13 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

14 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

15 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

16 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。