VOA标准英语10月-Afghan Government Denies Talking with Taliban

Afghanistan's government is denying media reports that it has been holding talks with the Taliban. VOA correspondent Steve Herman reports from Kabul an Afghan presidential spokesman says there have been no such discussions.

Afghanistan is denying talks have been held with the Taliban or its intermediaries.

The denial follows reports that representatives of the insurgents¹ or former Taliban officials met with Afghan government officials as part of a Saudi royal mediation² effort late last month.
　

Humayun Hamidzada at Kabul news conference, 07 Oct 2008

Presidential spokesman Humayun Hamidzada told reporters that while President Hamid Karzai has asked the Saudi King to arrange such discussions, they have not yet occurred.

"The government of Afghanistan is open to speaking with anyone in the opposition³ and the people who are fighting against the Afghan people and the Afghan government," he said. "But no such talks have happened, as of yet."

Media reports in the region have also quoted a Taliban spokesman as denying that peace talks have taken place.

In recent days, key figures in the international community have stated they would welcome such negotiations⁴. The U.N. Secretary-General's Special Representative in Afghanistan, Kai Eide, says all relevant players in the country need to talk to end the fighting.

U.S. Defense⁵ Secretary Robert Gates, on his way to Europe, told reporters Monday that just as has been the case in Iraq one of the key long-term solutions in Afghanistan is reconciliation⁶ with those willing to work with the government.

The U.S.-based Cable News Network reported Monday that Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah hosted four days of talks between 11 Taliban delegates and two Afghan government officials. CNN also quoted sources close to the purported⁷ discussions as saying the Taliban have agreed to sever⁸ their ties to al-Qaida.

Saudi Arabia was one of only a few countries to recognize the Taliban government in Kabul in the 1990s.

The Taliban, ousted⁹ from power by U.S.-led forces in 2001, are an increasingly serious security concern for the country's government. The war in Afghanistan is entering its eighth year with casualties reaching a record high.

The Pashtun extremists are operating in some parts of southern Afghanistan. There they enjoy tribal¹⁰ loyalty¹¹, including among cultivators of opium¹² poppies, the primary source of income for the region's inhabitants.

Following President Karzai's call for the Saudis to arrange peace talks, the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, was quoted as rejecting the offer, claiming the 64,000-strong international force in Afghanistan would meet the same fate as the Soviets¹³ who withdrew their soldiers in 1989.

Meanwhile, U.S.-led coalition¹⁴ forces in Afghanistan say 43 militants¹⁵ have been killed in a battle in the southern part of the country.

A statement from the military says coalition forces returned fire after being ambushed¹⁶ in multiple locations in Zabul province. Air support was called in by the coalition forces and no Afghan or U.S.-led troops were killed or wounded.

1 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

2 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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

7 purported   

adj.传说的，谣传的v.声称是…，（装得）像是…的样子( purport的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• the scene of the purported crime 传闻中的罪案发生地点
• The film purported to represent the lives of ordinary people. 这部影片声称旨在表现普通人的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 sever   

v.切开，割开；断绝，中断

参考例句：

• She wanted to sever all her connections with the firm.她想断绝和那家公司的所有联系。
• We must never sever the cultural vein of our nation.我们不能割断民族的文化血脉。

9 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

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 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

12 opium   

n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的

参考例句：

• That man gave her a dose of opium.那男人给了她一剂鸦片。
• Opium is classed under the head of narcotic.鸦片是归入麻醉剂一类的东西。

13 soviets   

苏维埃（Soviet的复数形式）

参考例句：

• A public challenge could provoke the Soviets to dig in. 公开挑战会促使苏联人一意孤行。
• The Soviets proposed the withdrawal of American ballistic-missile submarines from forward bases. 苏联人建议把美国的弹道导弹潜艇从前沿基地撤走。

14 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

15 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

16 ambushed   

v.埋伏( ambush的过去式和过去分词 )；埋伏着

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The military vehicles were ambushed. 军车遭到伏击。 来自《简明英汉词典》