VOA标准英语2008年-Conflicting Reports Arise About Role of French

By Alisha Ryu
Nairobi
20 June 2008

The office of the president of Somalia's transitional federal government says there have been misleading reports regarding an agreement President Abdullahi Yusuf signed last month with a private French military company. As VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu reports from our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi, the firm says it has been given an exclusive, three-year mandate¹ to provide maritime² security and to train a Somali presidential guard unit. But President Yusuf's office says he has not signed any such deal.
　

French President Nicolas Sarkozy (R) welcomes his Somali counterpart Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed prior to a meeting at the Elysee palace, 5 May 2008 in Paris (file)

President Abdullahi Yusuf's chief advisor³, Abdirizak Adan Hassan, tells VOA that the Somali leader has given the French company, Secopex, approval to pursue a contract to boost security off the Somali coast, create a coastal⁴ intelligence unit, and to train the president's bodyguards⁵.

But Hassan says President Yusuf has not given Secopex exclusive rights to carry out those projects in Somalia.

"What happened was, this security company approached us and the attitude of the president was, 'You know, we cannot go into a contract with you, because we cannot pay you. As long as you can get your own payment and contract from the rest of the international community - mainly the U.N., the U.S., the French government - as long as they select you and give you the contract and the go-ahead, we do not mind. When you get their blessing⁶, get back to me. That is when I can say yes or no,'" he said.

Mr. Yusuf met Secopex executives during his visit to Paris last month. The visit was, in part, to thank the French government for its help in the release of hostages aboard a hijacked⁷ French luxury yacht off the coast of Somalia in April. After a weeklong stand-off, elite⁸ French troops rescued all 30 crew members and captured six Somali pirates.

Hassan, who accompanied the president to France, says Mr. Yusuf made clear to Secopex that it would have to bid for the contract, estimated to be worth between $75 million and $150 million annually⁹ for the next three years.

"We just cannot give to one person," he added. "We have to see different specializations and see which one is more appropriate for the job."

The maritime Indian Ocean Newsletter reports the agreement is not binding¹⁰ in that it does not oblige the Somali government to pay for Secopex's services. The newsletter says it has documents that show that the agreement signed in Paris gives the French company an exclusive 36-month mandate to carry out its project.

In an interview with the Agence France Presse news agency last week, Secopex's chief executive, Pierre Marziali, also spoke¹¹ as if his company had secured the contract.

He told AFP that Secopex will be conducting an audit¹² of existing facilities in Somalia to determine the contract amount, and that the successful rescue of the yacht's crew had played a part in the signing of the deal with the Somali leader.

Founded in 2003, Secopex is composed of specialists from elite French military units and other government security agencies. It specializes in providing private military services to sovereign states.

The office of Somali Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein declined to comment about the deal, saying the matter was still under discussion.

More than 30 pirate attacks have been recorded off the Somali coast this year. Earlier this month, the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution authorizing¹³ foreign warships¹⁴ to enter Somali waters with the consent of the government to combat piracy¹⁵ and armed robbery at sea.

1 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。

2 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

3 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

4 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

5 bodyguards   

n.保镖，卫士，警卫员( bodyguard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks came to Jim's office accompanied—like always—by his two bodyguards. 和往常一样，在两名保镖的陪同下，布鲁克斯去吉姆的办公室。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Three of his bodyguards were injured in the attack. 在这次袭击事件中，他有3名保镖受了伤。 来自辞典例句

6 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

7 hijacked   

劫持( hijack的过去式和过去分词 )； 绑架； 拦路抢劫； 操纵（会议等，以推销自己的意图）

参考例句：

• The plane was hijacked by two armed men on a flight from London to Rome. 飞机在从伦敦飞往罗马途中遭到两名持械男子劫持。
• The plane was hijacked soon after it took off. 那架飞机起飞后不久被劫持了。

8 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

9 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

10 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

11 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

12 audit   

v.审计；查帐；核对；旁听

参考例句：

• Each year they audit our accounts and certify them as being true and fair.他们每年对我们进行账务审核，以确保其真实无误。
• As usual,the yearly audit will take place in December.跟往常一样，年度审计将在十二月份进行。

13 authorizing   

授权，批准，委托( authorize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Letters of Marque: Take letters from a warning friendly power authorizing privateering. 私掠许可证：从某一个国家获得合法抢劫的证书。
• Formal phavee completion does not include authorizing the subsequent phavee. 阶段的正式完成不包括核准随后的阶段。

14 warships   

军舰，战舰( warship的名词复数 )； 舰只

参考例句：

• The enemy warships were disengaged from the battle after suffering heavy casualties. 在遭受惨重伤亡后，敌舰退出了海战。
• The government fitted out warships and sailors for them. 政府给他们配备了战舰和水手。

15 piracy   

n.海盗行为，剽窃，著作权侵害

参考例句：

• The government has already adopted effective measures against piracy.政府已采取有效措施惩治盗版行为。
• They made the place a notorious centre of piracy.他们把这地方变成了臭名昭著的海盗中心。