VOA常速英语2008年-Relocation of UN Peacekeepers From Eritrea 'Imm

By Peter Heinlein
Zelanbesa, Ethiopia
12 February 2008

United Nations is set to begin withdrawing peacekeeping forces from Eritrea as early as Wednesday.   Sources close to the U.N. Mission say the troops will be relocated to the Ethiopian side of the two countries' disputed border. From the Ethiopian frontier town of Zelanbessa, VOA's Peter Heinlein reports the imminent¹ pullout has heightened tensions in an area recovering from an earlier war that prompted the dispatch of the U.N. peacekeepers.

A spokesman for the U.N. Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) says the withdrawal² of the force of approximately 1,400 troops will probably take several weeks.

It will also involve relocation of the UNMEE offices in the Eritrean capital, Asmara to the Ethiopian town of Mekele, about 120 kilometers from the border.

An assessment³ team from U.N. headquarters in New York visited the tense frontier region around Zelanbesa over the past few days. The team flew home Monday and was to immediately present its recommendations to the world body's top leadership.

What U.N. officials refer to as a "temporary relocation" became necessary after Eritrean officials severely⁴ restricted fuel supplies to the mostly Indian, Jordanian and Kenyan peacekeepers in December.

When Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon attended the African Union summit in Addis Ababa two weeks ago, he urged Eritrea to re-open the supply lines.

"I am deeply concerned about implications of latest restrictions⁵ imposed by Eritrea on our peacekeepers," he said.  "This is having a crippling effect on the ability of the mission to discharge its mandate⁶.  I appeal to Eritrea to lift all restrictions that affect the activities of the peacekeeping mission."

The last Ethiopia-Eritrea border war from 1998 to 2000 killed an estimated 70,000 people. The agreement that halted the fighting set up a 25-kilometer wide security zone where most of the U.N. peacekeepers are stationed.  Almost all of that is on the Eritrean side of the border.

Here in the Ethiopian town of Zelanbesa, just outside the unmarked border and within sight of the UNMEE camp, residents are nervous.  Tesfaye Zewde, 52, has lived in Zelanbesa all his life.  Speaking through an interpreter, he says people here believe the relocation of U.N. peacekeepers pushes them another step closer to a resumption of war.

ZEWDE: "If the relocation is going to take place, we are worried. We are in fear of that. We are not sleeping." 
HEINLEIN: "What's the fear?"
ZEWDE: "War is going to erupt.  If the UNMEE is here, it will be secure.  But if they are not here, war is going to take place.  We are the first victims in this town.  We are in fear of that.  We are not sleeping well at night."

It used to be that the blue helmeted UNMEE troops were in between the positions of the Ethiopian troops at the edge of the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ), and the Eritrean troops, who moved in and occupied much of the TSZ.  But now the Eritrean troops have moved past the UN positions and are standing⁷ on the hilltops overlooking the Ethiopian positions right on the edge of the Temporary Security Zone.

The convoy⁸ of UNMEE trucks moving through the checkpoint on the edge of the security zone are going from Ethiopia into Eritrea today.  They are empty. The question on people's minds is, "Will they bring peacekeeping troops and equipment to Ethiopia when they return?"

With the Eritrean forces now occupying hilltops that were until recently no-man's land, there is a sense along the frontier here that something will have to give. The presence of the U.N. peacekeepers has helped to ensure there is no war, even if there is no peace. Now, the equation is changing.

1 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

2 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

3 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

4 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

5 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

6 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。