VOA标准英语10月-Zimbabwe Crisis Summit in Danger

Zimbabwe Prime Minister-Designate Morgan Tsvangirai says he may not take part in Monday's planned summit of southern African leaders to resume Zimbabwe crisis talks. Peta Thornycroft reports for VOA from Harare the MDC says the government of President Robert Mugabe has not honored several articles in the power-sharing agreement signed last month.
　

Zimbabwe's opposition1 leader Morgan Tsvangirai, 17 Oct 2008

Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change says political events in Zimbabwe illustrate² that the ZANU-PF party of President Robert Mugabe is not committed to genuine power sharing.

The MDC statement cites as examples, the continued dominance by ZANU-PF of the sate³ media, Mr. Mugabe's unilateral appointment of ZANU-PF personnel to all the country's provincial⁴ governors positions, and Mr. Tsvangirai's lack of a passport.

MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said because the government had not issued Mr. Tsvangirai a passport, he was a prisoner in his own country.

Southern African leaders meeting Monday in Swaziland set a new round of talks after Mr. Tsvangirai refused to travel to Mbabane because he did not have a passport.

The government issued an emergency travel document the night before he was due to travel, valid⁵ for only three days and also only valid for South Africa and Swaziland. He was given no visa to enter South Africa.

Mr. Tsvangirai was appointed prime minister-designate of Zimbabwe as part of a power-sharing accord he signed last month with President Mugabe and the head of a small opposition group, Arthur Mutambara.

His party has since said that the question of whether the MDC would participate in the Harare talks is still being debated by the party.

Mr. Tsvangirai also says he has not been granted enough important cabinet positions. In particular, Mr. Tsvangirai wants the home affairs ministry⁶, which runs the police, and the finance ministry. Mr. Mugabe was given control of the army and the powerful intelligence services.

Mr. Tsvangirai has held several well attended rallies during the past two weeks in his urban strongholds of Harare, the second city Bulawayo, and Masvingo in southeastern Zimbabwe. Mr. Mugabe's Zanu-PF has not been holding any public rallies.

1 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。

2 illustrate   

v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图

参考例句：

• The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
• This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。

3 sate   

v.使充分满足

参考例句：

• Nothing could sate the careerist's greed for power.什么也满足不了这个野心家的权力欲。
• I am sate with opera after listening to it for a whole weekend.听了整整一个周末的歌剧，我觉得腻了。

4 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

5 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

6 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。