VOA标准英语2008年-Zimbabwean Opposition Warns Convening Parliamen

Zimbabwean opposition¹ leader Morgan Tsvangirai has said that if the government moves forward with plans to convene² parliament next week, it would violate a memorandum³ of understanding between the two sides on power-sharing negotiations⁴. Tsvangirai made the comments in Nairobi, after meeting with Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga. Derek Kilner has more from Nairobi.
　
Zimbabwe's main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai talks to journalists in Nairobi, 21 Aug 2008

Morgan Tsvangirai told a news conference in Nairobi that he does not expect President Robert Mugabe to convene Zimbabwe's parliament unilaterally, saying that such action would constitute a "repudiation⁵" of the agreement the government signed to guide power-sharing negotiations following disputed presidential elections.

"A violation⁶ of the MOU will have to be dealt with by the mediator⁷. If President Mugabe proceeds to convene parliament, appoint a new cabinet it means that he is proceeding⁸ to violate the conditions of the MOU which means that he may have abandoned the basis for the talks. But we don't know what his intentions are," he said.

The July 21 memorandum of understanding that governs the negotiations, which are being mediated⁹ by South African president Thabo Mbeki, says that parliament should only be reconvened, or a new government formed, with the agreement of the three parties: the government, and the two factions¹⁰ of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, led by Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara.

But Parliament Clerk Austin Zvoma said on Wednesday that President Mugabe would open parliament next Tuesday, after its members are sworn in on Monday.

At Thursday's news conference, Tsvangirai said the talks are making progress but that he and Mr. Mugabe remain deadlocked¹¹ over how to distribute powers between the positions of President and Prime Minister, which Tsvangirai would likely assume under a power-sharing arrangement.

Tsvangirai claims he won the presidential election on March 29. But the official results gave him less than 50 percent of the vote. Tsvangirai dropped out ahead of the June 27 runoff election, complaining of government attacks on his supporters.

Tsvangirai is seeking to build support from African leaders, including Mr. Odinga, who took the newly-formed position of Prime Minister in a power-sharing government following Kenya's disputed elections in December.

"We are consulting here in Africa, especially Kenya, because we want to benefit from the experience of what has happened in Kenya and what is likely to happen in Zimbabwe, where we have this new experiment in Africa, where when people lose the elections they want to negotiate their way back into government again," he noted¹².

But if Zimbabwe's government indeed plans to move ahead with reconvening parliament, a Kenyan-style agreement for Zimbabwe could be a long way off.

 

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 convene   

v.集合，召集，召唤，聚集，集合

参考例句：

• The Diet will convene at 3p.m. tomorrow.国会将于明天下午三点钟开会。
• Senior officials convened in October 1991 in London.1991年10月，高级官员在伦敦会齐。

3 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。

4 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。

5 repudiation   

n.拒绝；否认；断绝关系；抛弃

参考例句：

• Datas non-repudiation is very important in the secure communication. 在安全数据的通讯中，数据发送和接收的非否认十分重要。 来自互联网
• There are some goals of Certified E-mail Protocol: confidentiality non-repudiation and fairness. 挂号电子邮件协议需要具备保密性、不可否认性及公平性。 来自互联网

6 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

7 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。

8 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

9 mediated   

调停，调解，斡旋( mediate的过去式和过去分词 )； 居间促成； 影响…的发生； 使…可能发生

参考例句：

• He mediated in the quarrel between the two boys. 他调解两个孩子之间的争吵。
• The government mediated between the workers and the employers. 政府在工人与雇主间搞调和。

10 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

11 deadlocked   

陷入僵局的；僵持不下的

参考例句：

• The plan deadlocked over the funds. 这个计划由于经费问题而搁浅了。
• The meeting deadlocked over the wage issue. 会议因工资问题而停顿下来。

12 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。