VOA标准英语2008年-Zimbabwe Opposition Leader Briefly Stopped from

Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai and two senior members of his party were temporarily prevented from traveling to South Africa Thursday when Zimbabwe officials confiscated¹ their passports and then returned them. Peta Thornycroft reports from Harare that Tsvangirai is expected to address a regional summit in South Africa this weekend.
　
Zimbabwe opposition² leader Morgan Tsvangirai addresses the media in Harare, 02 Jul 2008

Immigration officials confiscated passports from the opposition party's Morgan Tsvangirai, party secretary-general Tendai Biti and legislator Elphas Mukonoweshoro at Harare International Airport. However, Movement for Democratic Change official Nqobizitha Mlilo said the passports were returned to the three men after a brief delay.

They were due to travel to South Africa for last minute negotiations³ Friday ahead of the summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) which Tsvangirai was scheduled to address on Saturday. The main topic of the meeting was expected to be the political crisis in Zimbabwe.

Tsvangirai won the first round of Zimbabwe's presidential election in March, but not by a clear majority. He pulled out of a June run-off citing a campaign of violence against his supporters. In parliamentary elections, his party took 100 seats, and the ruling ZANU-PF 99 seats.
　
Tendai Biti (file photo)

Biti is the senior MDC negotiator at the talks between the opposition and ZANU-PF. The talks are being negotiated by SADC-appointed mediator⁴ President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa. Biti, at the time of the passport confiscation⁵, said he believed this latest development is a message from Mr. Mugabe that he is not interested in a negotiated settlement.

"I think they [the Zimbabwe government] are sending a clear and unambiguous and unequivocal message to President Mbeki, to SADC, to the African Union, to the United Nations and everyone else, that look you people are forcing us dialogue with the MDC, but we are not interested. We are thugs, we are hooligans, we are fascists⁶, and therefore stop, leave us alone, we have obtained a mandate⁷ on the 27th of June, and that is it. Don't bother us," he said.

Biti has little faith that SADC will be able to help bring about a successful outcome to the negotiations.

"And I think as usual you will see a paralyzed SADC that will be a victim of its own inaction, and [incapacity] to understand the extent of the madness, the fascism that they are dealing⁸ with. So it's almost history replaying itself over and over again," he said.
　
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe (R) walks beside South African President Thabo Mbeki (L) at Harare international airport in Harare, 09 Aug 2008

The talks between Tsvangirai, Mugabe and smaller MDC faction⁹ leader Arthur Mutambara stalled on Tuesday night.

These talks followed two weeks of negotiations between the three parties representatives in South Africa.

The talks are in response to a memorandum¹⁰ of understanding signed by the three leaders on July 21, which had a mandate to negotiate a power sharing agreement between MDC and ZANU-PF.

The details of what has been negotiated and agreed to have been kept secret.

But, Thursday, the state controlled Herald¹¹ newspaper published a front page story claiming Tendai Biti has signed off on a number of issues, which the newspaper said were re-introduced by Tsvangirai during negotiations between him and Mr. Mugabe in Harare.

Earlier this week, officials within Mr. Mugabe's party told news agencies and The Herald that Mr. Mugabe had cut a separate deal with a splinter opposition faction that controls enough votes in Parliament to potentially swing the majority his way.

Arthur Mutambara, the faction leader with whom Mr. Mugabe had reportedly signed the deal, denied any such arrangement on Wednesday.

 

1 confiscated   

没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Their land was confiscated after the war. 他们的土地在战后被没收。
• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。

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 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。

4 mediator   

n.调解人，中介人

参考例句：

• He always takes the role of a mediator in any dispute.他总是在争论中充当调停人的角色。
• He will appear in the role of mediator.他将出演调停者。

5 confiscation   

n. 没收, 充公, 征收

参考例句：

• Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels. 没收一切流亡分子和叛乱分子的财产。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言
• Confiscation of smuggled property is part of the penalty for certain offences. 没收走私财产是对某些犯罪予以惩罚的一部分。

6 fascists   

n.法西斯主义的支持者( fascist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists. 老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Zoya heroically bore the torture that the Fascists inflicted upon her. 卓娅英勇地承受法西斯匪徒加在她身上的酷刑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

9 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。

10 memorandum   

n.备忘录，便笺

参考例句：

• The memorandum was dated 23 August,2008.备忘录上注明的日期是2008年8月23日。
• The Secretary notes down the date of the meeting in her memorandum book.秘书把会议日期都写在记事本上。

11 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。