2007年VOA标准英语-Opposition Activists in Divided Ivory Coast Fru

By Phillip Wellman
Dakar
07 September 2007

Even as northern-based rebels and presidential advisers¹ in Ivory Coast say they are upbeat about the peace process taking hold, opposition² activists³ say that current developments have not changed anything. Programs to disarm⁴ former fighters, reintegrate the army and distribute nationality and voting papers to many undocumented northerners are still needed before twice-delayed elections can take place. Phillip Wellman has this report from our West Africa bureau in Dakar.

A spokesman for the opposition Democratic Party of Ivory Coast, Niamkey Koffi, says rebels and the president have made little progress.

Laurent Gbagbo (file photo)

Koffi blames President Laurent Gbagbo for repeatedly stalling peace efforts.

 

"They have showed us that we cannot trust anymore the president," he said. "Since the 4th of March 2007, nothing has been done. So we do not believe that they can get to peace."

Mr. Gbagbo has said this was the first time a deal resulted from direct talks with the rebels and he is confident the deal will work.

He has said elections will be held before the end of the year. But a new program to deliver nationality and voting papers to thousands of undocumented northerners has yet to start.

Guillaume Soro (file photo)

Rebel leader Guillaume Soro, who became prime minister in March following the Burkina Faso agreement, has also made positive comments about the peace process, even after surviving an apparent assassination⁵ attempt.

Koffi says pressure must also be put on the rebels.

"We have to put pressure on both the parties on both of them so that they will hurry and try to do the identification of people so that they can get the papers to vote," he said. "Right now, both parties are encouraged to be in certain situations because they are both sharing the wealth of this country. And the people are getting poorer and poorer. So we can [not] do it anymore, [we cannot accept] any more delay for that kind of agreement."

The elections were, initially⁶, to be held in October 2005.

A former pro-Gbagbo militia⁷ leader, Jeff Agba, says he is disillusioned⁸ with the peace process. He points to recent student unrest as evidence he is not alone in his views.

"At this time I am talking to you, the people are running in the streets," he said. "There is nowhere to sleep, nowhere to go, nothing works. We are very upset about what is going on. There is no hope for that peace process to work."

Agba says repeated peace deals have come and gone.

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Ivorian soldier gathers guns handed back by West Resistance Armed Forces (FRGO) members during ceremony for dismantling of militias

"That is why nobody has a hope for this peace process, we are just watching them do a lot of mistakes, even the date they put on the paper to put on the roadmap, what they are saying, they cannot [do]," he said. "They cannot. "

There have been symbolic¹⁰ ceremonies for the start of militia disarmament, but no disarmament has begun.

Another sticking point is the question of ranks in a newly-unified army. Rebel and military leaders have had repeated meetings but have not reached any agreement.

The rebels say they want to integrate into the army with the ranks they gave themselves since the start of the war.

1 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

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 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 disarm   

v.解除武装，回复平常的编制，缓和

参考例句：

• The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. 全世界等待伊拉克解除武装已有12年之久。
• He has rejected every peaceful opportunity offered to him to disarm.他已经拒绝了所有能和平缴械的机会。

5 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

6 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

7 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

8 disillusioned   

a.不再抱幻想的，大失所望的，幻想破灭的

参考例句：

• I soon became disillusioned with the job. 我不久便对这个工作不再抱幻想了。
• Many people who are disillusioned in reality assimilate life to a dream. 许多对现实失望的人把人生比作一场梦。

9 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

10 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。