VOA标准英语2009年-Sarkozy Urges Syria to Exert Pressure on Hamas

French President Nicolas Sarkozy was in Syria Tuesday in an effort to arrange a cease-fire in the beleaguered¹ Gaza Strip, where Israeli forces continued their offensive against Hamas militants², who continue firing rockets into Israel.
　

Nicolas Sarkozy speaks during a joint3 press conference at the Syrian presidential palace, in Damascus, 06 Jan 2009

French President Nicholas Sarkozy took his diplomatic shuttle mission to Damascus, where he urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to use his influence with Hamas in a bid to hammer out a ceasefire in Gaza.

Sarkozy told President Assad that there is "no military solution in Gaza" and stressed that he had delivered the same message to Israeli leaders, during lengthy⁴ discussions in Jerusalem, Monday.

The Syrian president, for his part, used scathing⁵ language to denounce what he called "Israel's barbaric aggression⁶ in Gaza," calling the besieged⁷ enclave a "concentration camp," where he said 30 percent of the victims are children.

President Assad went on to accuse Israel of breaching⁸ the 1954 Geneva Conventions regarding the protection of civilians⁹ by an occupation power during time of war.

What is happening, he says, is a "war crime" and he said Amnesty International issued a report accusing Israel of breaching the Geneva Conventions. Israel, he adds, hasn't learned the lessons of [its 2006 military operation in] Lebanon, and everyone in the region is going to pay the price, including Israel.

Sarkozy's trip to Damascus and other countries in the region, including Israel and Egypt, is but one diplomatic effort to halt the fighting in Gaza and allow the flow of humanitarian¹⁰ supplies. In addition to calling for a ceasefire, Mr. Sarkozy has there has to be a halt to the firing of Hamas rockets into Israel.

In Cairo, Egyptian mediators are also trying to broker¹¹ a cease-fire as intelligence head, General Omar Suleiman, meets with two Damascus-based members of Hamas' politburo, Emad al-Alami and Mohammed Nasr. Al-Arabiya TV says that Israel prevented two other Hamas leaders from leaving Gaza to attend the talks.

Hamas spokesman in Lebanon, Usama Hamdan, says that Hamas leaders will "listen to whatever the Egyptians have to propose," before they return to Gaza to discuss the proposals with political bureau of Hamas. He said the [Israeli] aggression in Gaza must end unconditionally¹² and the border crossings must reopen.

1 beleaguered   

adj.受到围困[围攻]的；包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词)；困扰；骚扰

参考例句：

• The beleaguered party leader was forced to resign. 那位饱受指责的政党领导人被迫辞职。
• We are beleaguered by problems. 我们被许多困难所困扰。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

3 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

4 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

5 scathing   

adj.（言词、文章）严厉的，尖刻的；不留情的adv.严厉地，尖刻地v.伤害，损害（尤指使之枯萎）( scathe的现在分词)

参考例句：

• a scathing attack on the new management 针对新的管理层的猛烈抨击
• Her speech was a scathing indictment of the government's record on crime. 她的演讲强烈指责了政府在犯罪问题上的表现。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

7 besieged   

包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Paris was besieged for four months and forced to surrender. 巴黎被围困了四个月后被迫投降。
• The community besieged the newspaper with letters about its recent editorial. 公众纷纷来信对报社新近发表的社论提出诘问，弄得报社应接不暇。

8 breaching   

攻破( breach的过去式 )； 破坏，违反

参考例句：

• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。
• Third, an agency can abuse its discretion by breaching certain principles of judge-made law. 第三，行政机关会因违反某些法官制定的法律原则而构成滥用自由裁量权。

9 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。

10 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

11 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

12 unconditionally   

adv.无条件地

参考例句：

• All foreign troops must be withdrawn immediately and unconditionally. 所有外国军队必须立即无条件地撤出。
• It makes things very awkward to have your girls going back unconditionally just now! 你们现在是无条件上工，真糟糕！ 来自子夜部分