VOA标准英语2008年-Lebanon Prepares to Elect New President After E

By Challiss McDonough
Beiruit
24 May 2008

The Lebanese parliament is scheduled to elect a president on Sunday, ending an extended period of political turmoil¹ that erupted earlier this month into violent clashes between Lebanon's U.S.-backed government and the Hezbollah-led opposition². A political settlement reached in Qatar earlier this week paved the way for the election, six months after the last president stepped down. But analysts³ warn that some difficult, unresolved issues could be tough challenges for Lebanon's new leader. VOA Correspondent Challiss McDonough has more from Beirut.

Beirut is a city transformed. The opposition's protest tents are gone, a year and a half after they went up outside the prime minister's office. The crowds are back in downtown restaurants and cafes. And the partisan⁴ banners and flags that have blanketed many parts of the city for the last several years have been largely replaced by the red-white-and-green Lebanese flag, and the white banner of the Lebanese army.

In a city where, not too long ago, the faces of factional leaders peered out from posters all over town, now the walls are plastered with the face of General Michel Suleiman, who is to be elected president on Sunday.

And even those pictures have changed. Posters of the general in his military uniform have been replaced by images of him in a civilian⁶ suit and tie.

Lebanon's last head of state, Emile Lahoud, stepped down in November when his term ended, but the election of army chief Suleiman has been delayed for months, while political factions⁷ wrangled⁸ over the shape of the next government. Earlier this month, fighting erupted between supporters of the government and opposition factions led by Hezbollah. The rivals finally reached a compromise on Wednesday, after days of talks in Qatar, agreeing to give the opposition enough Cabinet posts to veto any government decision.

But analysts warn that the compromise reached in Doha did not address the most difficult issues. They were left for later negotiations⁹ that could prove a serious challenge for the new unity¹⁰ government.

Mohamad Bazzi is the Edward R. Murrow press fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. "And in the end, the entire system works on consensus¹¹, so General Suleiman would have to achieve consensus on all of the important questions, and that's the most difficult problem… there's no consensus around the thorny¹² questions, like Hezbollah's weapons," he said.

Difficult questions that could threaten the fragile coalition¹³ include Lebanon's relationship with Syria and its cooperation with the U.N. tribunal investigating the 2005 killing¹⁴ of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Those are among the issues that led to the political standoff in the first place.

Earlier this month, the crisis erupted into the worst internal fighting that Lebanon has seen since its civil war - fighting that largely fell along sectarian lines. The new president will have to deal with the legacy¹⁵ of that violence as well as with the issues that led to it.

The group Human Rights Watch is urging the new government to investigate the killing of civilians¹⁶ during the clashes, as well as other human rights violations¹⁷ that took place.

Human Rights Watch researcher Nadim Houry says, if the victims do not feel the state can provide justice, it could lead to another round of violence. "Seventy-one people died, more than 200 were wounded, and yet no one has been held accountable. And if this future government, and if this future president want to succeed in building a state, the first building block has to be accountability, and the recognition that victims have to get their due," he said.

The first task facing the new president will be forming a government. Traditionally, there is considerable wrangling¹⁸ over which faction⁵ gets which Cabinet post. Insiders say the Doha agreement likely included a compromise over the so-called key ministries¹⁹, which include the justice, defense²⁰ and interior portfolios²¹.

Suleiman became a consensus candidate for president precisely²² because he has good relations with both sides of Lebanon's political divide and successfully kept the army neutral throughout the crisis. As he moves into the Baabda presidential mansion²³, his leadership skills are likely to be tested on a whole new level.

1 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

2 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。

3 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

4 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

5 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

6 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

7 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

8 wrangled   

v.争吵，争论，口角( wrangle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They wrangled over what to do next. 他们就接下来该干什么而争吵。 来自辞典例句
• They wrangled and rowed with other passengers. 他们与其他旅客争辨吵闹。 来自辞典例句

9 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。

10 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

11 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

12 thorny   

adj.多刺的，棘手的

参考例句：

• The young captain is pondering over a thorny problem.年轻的上尉正在思考一个棘手的问题。
• The boys argued over the thorny points in the lesson.孩子们辩论功课中的难点。

13 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。

14 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

15 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

16 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

17 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

18 wrangling   

v.争吵，争论，口角( wrangle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The two sides have spent most of their time wrangling over procedural problems. 双方大部分时间都在围绕程序问题争论不休。 来自辞典例句
• The children were wrangling (with each other) over the new toy. 孩子为新玩具（互相）争吵。 来自辞典例句

19 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

20 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。

21 portfolios   

n.投资组合( portfolio的名词复数 )；（保险）业务量；（公司或机构提供的）系列产品；纸夹

参考例句：

• Price risk arises in non-trading portfolios, as well as in trading portfolios. 价格风险中出现的非贸易投资，以及在贸易投资组合。 来自互联网
• How do we fatten our portfolios and stay financially healthy? 我们怎样育肥我们的投资结构和维持财政健康呢？ 来自互联网

22 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

23 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。