2007年VOA标准英语-Sudan Expels Canadian, European Diplomats For '

By Nick Wadhams
Nairobi
24 August 2007

The Sudanese government has expelled the top Canadian and European envoys¹ on allegations that they were interfering² in the country's affairs. As Nick Wadhams reports from Nairobi, the expulsions raise new fears that Sudan may be trying to obstruct³ peace efforts in Darfur.

The Canadian diplomat⁴, Nuala Lawlor, and Kent Degerfelt of the European Union were labeled persona non-grata on Thursday. The spokesman for Sudan's foreign ministry⁵ told the state news agency that the two had "meddled⁶" in Sudan's affairs.

On Friday, the Sudan Tribune Web site quoted a Foreign Ministry official as saying the two had been meeting with Sudanese opposition⁷ leaders.

But Canada and the European Union say they were given no reason why the two were expelled. The Canadian Foreign Ministry says Lawlor was standing⁸ up for freedom and democracy in Sudan. European Commission spokesman Ian Barber says Degerfelt was not even in the country when he was ordered out.

"What we have is the letter of expulsion," he said. "There's no specific mention of meddling⁹. It's also confirmed that the head of delegation¹⁰ is not in Sudan at the moment, he was already in Europe. He was already in Europe on holiday. That's one of the reasons why the commission is so very surprised by this. Contacts with the Sudanese authorities are ongoing¹¹."

The expulsions come at a delicate time. Late last month, the U.N. Security Council overcame Sudan's long-standing objections and approved a 26,000 strong peacekeeping force for Darfur, where some 200,000 people have been killed in four years of conflict.

And envoys from the African Union and the United Nations have been trying to organize peace talks between the government and the various rebel factions¹². The envoys say they hope the talks will begin in October.

In the United States, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said he hoped the expulsions were not bids to derail the Darfur peace efforts. He said Sudan has a history of trying to thwart¹³ the will of the international community.

Analysts¹⁴ said it was far too early to tell what exactly the Sudanese government's motivations are.

"In the absence of details, it's very difficult to speculate," said Andebrhan Georgis, the Africa Advocacy director for the International Crisis Group. "I think we just have to see what the Sudanese explanation will be to the Europeans and the Canadians. If we're talking about the deployment¹⁵ of UNAMID. I don't know why the European Union and the Canadians would be picked out of all the other members of the international community."

Canada has been an outspoken¹⁶ critic of the Sudanese government's actions in Darfur. In March, it contributed $48 million to support the African Union force currently stationed in the region.

1 envoys   

使节( envoy的名词复数 )； 公使； 谈判代表； 使节身份

参考例句：

• the routine tit for tat when countries expel each other's envoys 国家相互驱逐对方使节这种惯常的报复行动
• Marco Polo's travelogue mentions that Kublai Khan sent envoys to Malgache. 马可波罗游记中提到忽必烈曾派使节到马尔加什。

2 interfering   

adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词

参考例句：

• He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
• I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。

3 obstruct   

v.阻隔，阻塞(道路、通道等)；n.阻碍物，障碍物

参考例句：

• He became still more dissatisfied with it and secretly did everything in his power to obstruct it.他对此更不满意，尽在暗里使绊子。
• The fallen trees obstruct the road.倒下的树将路堵住了。

4 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

5 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。

6 meddled   

v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Someone has meddled with the photographs I laid out so carefully. 有人把我精心布置的照片弄乱了。 来自辞典例句
• The gifts of charity meddled with a man's private affair. 慈善团体的帮助实际上是干涉私人的事务。 来自互联网

7 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。

8 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。

9 meddling   

v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He denounced all "meddling" attempts to promote a negotiation. 他斥责了一切“干预”促成谈判的企图。 来自辞典例句
• They liked this field because it was never visited by meddling strangers. 她们喜欢这块田野，因为好事的陌生人从来不到那里去。 来自辞典例句

10 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。

11 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。

12 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

13 thwart   

v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的)

参考例句：

• We must thwart his malevolent schemes.我们决不能让他的恶毒阴谋得逞。
• I don't think that will thwart our purposes.我认为那不会使我们的目的受到挫折。

14 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

15 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

16 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。