2007年VOA标准英语-Darfur Rebel Groups Suspend Meeting in Chad Loo

By Phuong Tran
Dakar
22 September 2007

A meeting of rebel groups from Sudan's Darfur region, aimed at finding a common position ahead of October peace talks, has been temporarily suspended. Phuong Tran reports from VOA's Central and West Africa bureau in Dakar, the groups, meeting in neighboring Chad, are hoping for greater participation¹ in the preparatory talks.

The meeting of Darfur rebel groups is expected to resume early next month to allow more groups to be represented. The goal of the talks is to forge a common position ahead of peace talks with the Sudanese government, scheduled for October 27 in Libya.

Officials in Chad, which hosted the talks, say five rebel groups from Darfur attended the meeting this past week. But a key rebel leader refused to attend. Abdel Wahid Mohammed Nur, founder² of the Sudan Liberation Army, which started the rebellion against Khartoum in 2003, has refused to attend any peace negotiations³, arguing that a cease-fire should be in place first.

Pressure is mounting ahead of the Libya peace talks.  A meeting Friday of ministers and senior diplomats⁴ from more than 25 countries, that was sponsored by the United Nations and African Union, urged all rebel groups to attend the talks in Tripoli.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said participants agreed that any Sudanese rebel group that boycott⁵ the scheduled peace talks in Libya should face sanctions.

Political analyst⁶ Paul Simon Handy, with the South Africa-based Institute for Security Studies, says some rebel leaders will block peace deal progress by refusing to work with one another to prepare a peace deal with Khartoum.

"Some of the so-called rebel movements are actually armed bandits that have given themselves the title of political groupings. The real armed opposition⁷ is not interested in getting into an alliance [with them]," he explained.  "Even the so-called rebel movement has totally different agendas."

Analyst Handy says peace and security in Sudan's neighboring countries largely depend on whether Sudanese rebels can agree to work with one another.

"The instability in the region is due to the existence of these bandits, who have a high spoiling capacity because of the weakness of state organizations to ensure security in that region," he added.

In addition to the political negotiations, limited deployment⁸ of a 26,000 strong joint⁹ U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force is to begin next month, with a larger deployment early next year. 

More than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced since the conflict began four years ago.

1 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

2 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

3 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

4 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》

5 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。

6 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

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 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。

9 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。