2007年VOA标准英语-Afghan, Pakistani Figures Gather for Peace Conf

By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
08 August 2007

Ali Mohammad Jan Orakzai head of the Pakistani delegation1, right second, greets with Afghan officials at the Kabul international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, 8 Aug. 2007

Pakistan and Afghanistan are preparing for a landmark² peace conference, or grand jirga.  The four-day talks open against a backdrop of growing regional violence and worsening cross-border relations.  From the Afghan capital Kabul, VOA Correspondent Benjamin Sand reports.
       
The talks encountered a major setback³ when Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf reportedly backed out of a plan to help inaugurate the jirga Thursday.

Hundreds of delegates from both countries began gathering⁴ in the dusty Afghan capital Wednesday.  The jirga comes amid a surge in militant⁵ violence.

Afghanistan's six-year Taleban insurgency⁶ is bloodier⁷ than ever.  More than six-thousand people have been killed in the past 18 months.

Pakistan has been rocked by a wave of suicide attacks that have left nearly 300 people dead in recent weeks.  Both sides blame the other for the region's growing insecurity and cross border ties are at an historic low.

Here in Kabul, as in Islamabad, few people expect the jirga to produce any diplomatic breakthroughs.  But Afghanistan's national security advisor⁸, Zalmai Rasoul says he remains⁹ optimistic the meeting will be worthwhile.

"We from the Afghan side, we are putting a lot of hope that this jirga will give the starting point of an understanding between the Afghan people and the Pakistani people that the war on terror cannot be won if all of us do not work together," Rasoul said.

U.S. officials say they hope the jirga will ease tensions and improve security between the two countries, both key allies in the U.S.-led war against terrorism.  The plan to hold this jirga was conceived in Washington last year.

More than 700 delegates will attend, including local politicians, religious leaders and tribal¹⁰ elders.

But security experts say some of the most influential¹¹ actors will not be participating.  The local Taleban was not invited and many of their tribal supporters from Pakistan say they will boycott¹² the meeting.

In Islamabad Tuesday, Pakistan Interior Ministry¹³ spokesman Brigadier Javed Iqbal Cheema urged the tribal representatives to reconsider their decision.

"There is still time and I hope they would join the jirga.  I think its time that we have to rise above our personal interests, above our political interests," Cheema said.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz is now expected to join Afghan President Hamid Karzai, in place of President Musharraf on Thursday.

U.S. and Afghan authorities have accused Islamabad of ignoring Taleban bases in Pakistan's volatile¹⁴ tribal areas.  Pakistan denies those charges and recently stepped up military operations targeting suspected Taleban camps.

1 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

2 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。

3 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

4 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。

5 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

6 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

7 bloodier   

adj.血污的( bloody的比较级 )；流血的；屠杀的；残忍的

参考例句：

8 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。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

11 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。

12 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

13 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

14 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。