VOA标准英语2009年-US Regrets Zimbabwe Explusion of UN Invest

By David Gollust
State Department
31 October 2009

 
U.N. torture investigator¹ Manfred Nowak speaks during a media conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, 29 Oct 2009
The United States Friday expressed regret over Zimbabwe's expulsion this week of a U.N. human rights investigator who had gone there to look into reports of government-inspired violence before last year's disputed elections. U.N. investigator Manfred Nowak was detained on arrival in Harare Wednesday and expelled to South Africa Thursday.

The State Department says Zimbabwe's treatment of U.N. investigator Nowak is emblematic² of broader human rights problems in that country, and it is calling on President Robert Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party to live up to democratization pledges under the unity³ government accord reached early this year.

The U.N. official said he was detained at the Harare airport and later expelled despite having been invited by the Zimbabwean government to look into reports of widespread violence against opposition⁴ supporters before last year's discredited⁵ run-off presidential election between Mr. Mugabe and the then-opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

Nowak told reporters in South Africa his treatment at the hand of authorities was totally un-heard of behavior and underscored the lack of power of Mr. Tsvangirai, who under the so-called Global Political Agreement, the GPA, became prime minister in the unity government that took office in February.

State Department Deputy Spokesman Robert Wood told VOA the United States regrets that Nowak was denied the opportunity to report on human rights conditions in the southern African country.

"We're very concerned about the state of democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Zimbabwe, and actions such as the refusal to allow Mr. Nowak to visit again call into question Robert Mugabe's commitment to democratic reform, and the implementation⁶ of the Global Political Agreement. So we call on Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party to act in good faith and move forward on re-establishing democracy and creating conditions for full economic recovery in Zimbabwe," he said.

Wood reiterated⁷ that despite appeals from Harare, the United States is disinclined to provide Zimbabwe with anything more that humanitarian⁸ aid, distributed by international agencies, until he said we can see movement on reforms.

He said the Obama administration intends to work with regional partners and others to press Mr. Mugabe on GPA  implementation, saying we owe it to ourselves and the people of Zimbabwe to help move the country away from politicized arrests and intimidation⁹.

Zimbabwean officials said Nowak had arrived in the country despite a request to postpone¹⁰ his mission because of a regional ministerial meeting on the country's political crisis, with state-run media calling the U.N. official a gate crasher. The Harare foreign ministry¹¹ said Friday Nowak's attempt to visit the country was a provocation¹² of the highest order.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and other members of the former opposition have expressed growing frustration¹³ with the unity government and have boycotted¹⁴ recent cabinet meetings.

 

1 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。

2 emblematic   

adj.象征的，可当标志的；象征性

参考例句：

• The violence is emblematic of what is happening in our inner cities. 这种暴力行为正标示了我们市中心贫民区的状况。
• Whiteness is emblematic of purity. 白色是纯洁的象征。 来自辞典例句

3 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

4 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。

5 discredited   

不足信的，不名誉的

参考例句：

• The reactionary authorities are between two fires and have been discredited. 反动当局弄得进退维谷，不得人心。
• Her honour was discredited in the newspapers. 她的名声被报纸败坏了。

6 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

7 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

8 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。

9 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

10 postpone   

v.延期，推迟

参考例句：

• I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
• She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。

11 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

12 provocation   

n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因

参考例句：

• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation.他是火爆性子，一点就着。
• They did not react to this provocation.他们对这一挑衅未作反应。

13 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

14 boycotted   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Athletes from several countries boycotted the Olympic Games. 有好几国的运动员抵制奥林匹克运动会。
• The opposition party earlier boycotted the Diet agenda, demanding Miyaji's resignation. 反对党曾杯葛国会议程，要宫路下台。