VOA标准英语10月-Pakistani, Afghan Delegates Agree to Talks With T

Pakistani and Afghan political and tribal¹ leaders meeting in Islamabad Tuesday have agreed to seek talks with Taliban insurgents² in a bid to limit violence along their shared border. The announcement came after a two-day meeting described as a mini-jirga in the Pakistani capital. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from Islamabad.

The two-day "mini-jirga" in Islamabad ended with pledges to create new committees in both countries that will try to establish contact with Taliban groups.
　

Head of Afghan delegation3, Abdullah Abdullah (l) and Pakistani delegation head Owais Ahmed Ghani (r) hold a joint4 press conference in Islamabad, 28 Oct 2008

Afghanistan's former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah said those committees will work independently from any other peace talks being pursued by the two governments.

"We agreed that contacts should be established with the opposition⁵," he said. "Apart from whatever else is happening in that regard, joint contacts will be established through jirga-gai by using other influential⁶ figures through the opposition groups in both countries."

Representatives of the Islamabad jirga said the term "opposition groups" refers to all those involved in the armed conflict in both countries.

Officials said the names of the representatives seeking talks with militants⁷ will be kept secret because of security concerns.

The governments in Islamabad and Kabul have repeatedly proposed holding peace talks with Taliban factions⁸ if the militants agree to recognize the governments' legitimacy⁹. Militants have rejected those conditions.

When asked how the latest proposal for talks is different from previous ones, Northwest Frontier Province Governor and leader of the Pakistan delegation, Owais Ahmed Ghani, said both countries believe the only way to resolve the conflict is through negotiation¹⁰.

"That is what dialogue is all about," he said. "We will sit, we will talk to them, we will listen to them, they will listen to us. And we will come to some sort of a solution to this situation. Without dialogue we cannot arrive at any sort of conclusion."

This week's meeting in Islamabad follows last August's so-called "grand jirga" where more than 600 Pakistan and Afghan tribal leaders pledged to confront militancy¹¹, improve border security and try to "expedite" dialogue with Taliban groups.

Since then, the Taliban insurgency¹² has strengthened in Afghanistan and taken over larger parts of Pakistan's tribal region.

Afghan delegation leader Abdullah said the current situation in both countries creates an even greater imperative¹³ for talks.

"This war and insecurity has lingered on for so long and through the jirga gai we have just opened it wider for peace and dialogue with the groups," he said.

Representatives seeking contact with the Taliban are expected to report on their progress at the next jirga meeting scheduled in two or three months.

1 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。

2 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

3 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。

4 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。

5 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。

6 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

7 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。

8 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

9 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

10 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

11 militancy   

n.warlike behavior or tendency

参考例句：

• Full of militancy and revolutionary ardour, the people of all nationalities in the country are working hard for the realization of the four modernizations. 全国各族人民意气风发， 斗志昂扬，为实现四个现代化而奋战。
• The seniority system is another factor that leads to union militancy. 排资论辈制度也是导致工会好斗争的另一因素。

12 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

13 imperative   

n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的

参考例句：

• He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。
• The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。