VOA标准英语2008年-UN Secretary-General Plans December Visit to Bu

Burma's opposition¹ party, the National League for Democracy, says the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon is to visit Burma in December to hold talks on the country's political problems. As Ron Corben reports from Bangkok, the NLD was told of Mr. Ban's scheduled visit during talks with the U.N. special envoy² currently on a five-day official visit.

News of the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon's planned visit to Burma late this year came in a meeting Wednesday with executives from Burma's main opposition party, the National League for Democracy or NLD, and the U.N's special envoy Ibrahim Gambari.
　
Nyan Win answers questions from the press at National League for Democracy (NLD) headquarters in Rangoon, 20 Aug 2008

NLD spokesman, Nyan Win, said the visit of Mr. Ban would be taking place during the last week of December.

"Mr. Gambari said Mr. Ban Ki-moon will visit Burma in the last week of December this year and he said this Mr. Ban Ki-Moon's trip is only [about] political issue," he said.

Gambari is currently on a five-day official visit to Burma as part of United Nations efforts to open the way for a political dialogue between the military government and the opposition to press for political reform.

Mr. Ban had visited Burma in May in the weeks immediately following a devastating³ cyclone⁴ as part of international steps to speed up relief and recovery efforts from the disaster that claimed as many as 130,000 lives. But the visit largely precluded⁵ any discussions on Burma's political situation.

Debbie Stothardt, a spokeswoman for the rights group, the Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma, says while talks are viewed as positive, the military government should take genuine steps to political reform in the meantime.

"It is a hopeful step," she said. "However, this doesn't mean that the regime has to sit pretty until December rolls around. They do really need to show that they are willing to engage in reforms and to make that dialogue with Mr. Ban meaningful. They can, for example, release all political prisoners now and stop attacking people in Eastern Burma."
　
Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win (l) shakes hands with the UN Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari prior to their meeting in Rangoon, 18 Aug 2008

Earlier in the week Gambari met Burma's Foreign Minister Nyan Win and held talks with diplomats⁶ and representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Burma's military government, in power since 1962, has ignored international pressure to take steps to political reform and release political prisoners. In September last year the military forcibly put down street protests, led by Buddhist⁷ monks⁸, calling for reform.

In May the military went ahead with a national referendum on a new constitution as part of its own "road map" to democracy despite the impact of the recent cyclone on the country.

Gambari had been scheduled to meet with opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday. But amid tight security at the state guest house in Rangoon, the opposition leader failed to appear and no clear reason was given by government officials as to why she didn't appear.

Aung San Suu Kyi remains⁹ under detention¹⁰ and has spent 13 of the past 19 years under house arrest. Her period of detention was recently extended by the military government.

 

1 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。

2 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

3 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

4 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。

5 precluded   

v.阻止( preclude的过去式和过去分词 )；排除；妨碍；使…行不通

参考例句：

• Abdication is precluded by the lack of a possible successor. 因为没有可能的继承人，让位无法实现。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The bad weather precluded me from attending the meeting. 恶劣的天气使我不能出席会议。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

8 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。