2007年VOA标准英语-Zimbabweans Show Little Optimism Ahead of SADC

By Peta Thornycroft
Southern Africa
13 August 2007

South African President Thabo Mbeki's anticipated report to the Southern African Development Community summit on Thursday is unlikely to reveal significant progress toward resolving the crisis in Zimbabwe. The report, on the mediation¹ between President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF and the opposition² Movement for Democratic Change, began after a special summit on Zimbabwe in Tanzania five months ago. Peta Thornycroft reports for VOA.

Thabo Mbeki (July 2006 file photo)

President Mbeki goes to this week's SADC summit in Lusaka, Zambia, unable to claim any significant progress in resolving the Zimbabwe crisis.

The South Africans were appointed by SADC in March to facilitate talks between the ruling ZANU-PF and the opposition MDC leading to elections next March.

So far there have been only two substantive³ sessions between President Mugabe's negotiators and the two secretary-generals of the divided MDC.

 

At first the two sides engaged on a draft constitution they negotiated in secret in Harare in 2004.

However, after Mr. Mugabe said last month he would never agree to a new constitution ahead of the elections in six months, the two sides have been discussing reforms of electoral laws.

Any reforms could be facilitated through another amendment⁴ to Zimbabwe's constitution.

Robert Mugabe (file photo)

President Mugabe already wants an amendment to allow presidential and parliamentary elections to be held simultaneously⁵. He also wants the constitution amended⁶ so that if he retires or dies in office, parliament would choose his successor and not the electorate⁷.

As it stands now, President Mugabe would be the ZANU-PF candidate for the presidential election due next March, and time is running out for any serious changes to Zimbabwe's electoral laws and processes, which the opposition claims were created to assist ZANU-PF at the polls.

President Mugabe told cheering crowds at a rally Monday to commemorate⁸ Zimbabwe's liberation war heroes, that the recent price cuts which saw retail⁹ prices cut below cost of manufacture, would remain.

He said nothing would stop Zimbabwe "from expressing our sovereign right to govern ourselves as we deem fit."

The Zimbabwean president described current hyperinflation as a "brazen¹⁰ conspiracy¹¹" and blamed former colonial power Britain, for the unprecedented¹² economic crisis, which he said was "temporary."

Last week the U.S. Famine Early Warning Systems Network, or Fewsnet, issued an "emergency" report on Zimbabwe's food situation.

In addition to a poor agricultural season and the need for massive emergency feeding programs, Fewsnet commented on the empty shelves in Zimbabwe's supermarkets.

"The formal market can no longer maintain a regular supply of basic goods," Fewsnet said.

Meanwhile all SADC countries surrounding landlocked Zimbabwe report an upsurge of people fleeing the economic crisis.

The South African government says it has repatriated¹³ about 100,000 illegal Zimbabweans so far this year.

1 mediation   

n.调解

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
• The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。

2 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。

3 substantive   

adj.表示实在的；本质的、实质性的；独立的；n.实词，实名词；独立存在的实体

参考例句：

• They plan to meet again in Rome very soon to begin substantive negotiations.他们计划不久在罗马再次会晤以开始实质性的谈判。
• A president needs substantive advice,but he also requires emotional succor. 一个总统需要实质性的建议，但也需要感情上的支持。

4 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

5 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。

6 Amended   

adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
• He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

7 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。

8 commemorate   

vt.纪念，庆祝

参考例句：

• This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
• We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。

9 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

10 brazen   

adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的

参考例句：

• The brazen woman laughed loudly at the judge who sentenced her.那无耻的女子冲着给她判刑的法官高声大笑。
• Some people prefer to brazen a thing out rather than admit defeat.有的人不愿承认失败，而是宁肯厚着脸皮干下去。

11 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

12 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

13 repatriated   

v.把（某人）遣送回国，遣返( repatriate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The refugees were forcibly repatriated. 难民被强制遣送回国。
• Ancient artworks were repatriated from the US to Greece. 古代艺术品从美国遣送回希腊。 来自《简明英汉词典》