VOA标准英语2008年-African Leaders Call for Regional Economic Inte

By Derek Kilner
Nairobi
23 May 2008

An African Union summit on the issue of pan-African integration¹ concluded in Arusha, Tanzania. AU Chairman Jakaya Kikwete reiterated² the support for continued political integration, but focused on economic measures in the shorter term. Derek Kilner has more from VOA's East Africa bureau in Nairobi.

The two-day summit brought together heads of state or ministers from 12 African states. The leaders hoped to provide a better understanding of how to work toward the principles of African political integration endorsed³ at the AU summit in Accra, Ghana last year.

Following the meeting, AU Chairman Jakaya Kikwete, the president of Tanzania, said the leaders had agreed on a series of "benchmarks" for the process of integration. These included broad appeals for institutionalizing the values endorsed by the AU, and mobilizing popular support for integration.

Proposals in the area of economic integration were slightly more concrete. The group proposed harmonizing the various regional economic communities in Africa, speeding up work on establishing a common African market, building continent-wide financial and monetary⁴ institutions, and easing restrictions⁵ on migration⁶ between countries.

The secretary of the AU's Peace and Security Council, Admore Kambudzi, also highlighted the importance of economic integration in an interview with VOA during the summit. "First of all I think the key will be to accelerate economic integration within the region, within the continent in Africa. You need all the necessary infrastructure⁷ from roads, telecommunications, production facilities, irrigation systems, you need to establish a strong substructure for any kind of government to work in Africa," he said.

Kambudzi said the broader project of political integration will likely be a lengthy⁸ process. "I think it's a gradual process. We have seen what has happened in Western Europe. What you see as the European Union today has taken many many decades to establish and I don't think the African Union will be an exception to the extent that it will in a few days in one week in a very few years transform itself to be able to have a union government," he said.

The meeting in Tanzania comes ahead of the A.U.'s annual summit, scheduled for the end of June in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

1 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

2 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

3 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

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 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

7 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

8 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。