VOA标准英语2009年-Compaore Urges Ivorians to Move Toward Pre

By Anne Look
Dakar
18 September 2009

 
Burkinabe President Blaise Compaore speaks to Ivory Coast National assembly, 17 Sep 2009 

Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaoré visited Ivory Coast this week. Mr. Compaoré is leading regional efforts to organize the country's much-delayed presidential elections.

During his four-day visit, Burkinabe President Blaise Compaoré has urged Ivorians to continue moving towards the presidential poll, now slated¹ for November 29. The vote, which has been postponed² several times since 2005, is an attempt to find a lasting³ political solution to nearly a decade of internal conflict in the once stable West African nation.

This trip is Mr. Compaoré's first visit to Ivory Coast since civil war cut the nation in half in 2002 after rebels attempting to overthrow⁴ President Laurent Gbagbo took control of the northern part of the country. Burkina Faso borders Ivory Coast to the North, and Mr. Compaoré, an active mediator⁵ in regional conflicts, was instrumental in bringing an end to the crisis and restoring peace to his country's conflict-ridden neighbor.

Mr. Compaoré brokered⁶ the Ouagadougou peace deal in March 2007 that extended President Gbagbo's mandate⁷ in power while appointing rebel leader Guillaume Soro as prime minister in a power-sharing agreement. Ivory Coast has since missed deadlines for presidential elections set by the peace accords of 2007 and late 2008. The country, though now at peace, remains⁸ tense and fractured.

Addressing the Ivorian parliament Thursday, Mr. Compaoré assured Ivorians that they could count on the continued support of Burkina Faso.

In a few weeks, he says, your country will have succeeded in organizing presidential elections, an essential step in the restoration and consolidation⁹ of democracy. He says he has faith in the ability of Ivorians to carry out a free and transparent¹⁰ election as part of the political accord of Ouagadougou.

Yet, as Mr. Compaoré arrived in the country Tuesday, Ivory Coast's election commission confirmed that it had missed a September 15 deadline for publishing voter lists, a setback¹¹ that many fear could once again delay the presidential polls. Financial problems and voter registration¹² issues, particularly issues of nationality and voter eligibility¹³, have already prompted Ivory Coast to push back the election several times since 2005.

In Thursday's speech, Mr. Compaoré called on the National Assembly itself, as a forum¹⁴ of debate, to play an integral role in restoring democracy to the country.

He says it is the responsibility of the parliament and its members to make this assembly a sanctuary¹⁵ of freedom and democracy that respects pluralism and the rights of the opposition¹⁶. He says it should also be emphasized that in situations of crisis and emerging from crisis, the role of parliament and its members is crucial in achieving and maintaining peace. He says he is convinced that parliament's role will be decisive in the building of a stronger Ivory Coast.

In his speech, Mr. Compaoré also called for greater cooperation between the two countries to integrate their electricity networks, revitalize the Port of Abidjan and improve road and rail transportation between the two countries. He thanked the Ivorian people for, what he called, their "invaluable¹⁷ support" during the devastating¹⁸ floods that have hit Burkina Faso since July, leaving more than 150,000 people homeless.

Mr. Compaoré closed his speech saying "Long live the cooperation between Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast. Long live the friendship between our people."

Mr. Compaoré is spending Friday, the last day of his visit, meeting with Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo in Abidjan.

1 slated   

用石板瓦盖( slate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Yuki is working up an in-home phonics program slated for Thursdays, and I'm drilling her on English conversation at dinnertime. Yuki每周四还有一次家庭语音课。我在晚餐时训练她的英语口语。
• Bromfield was slated to become U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. 布罗姆菲尔德被提名为美国农业部长。

2 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

3 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

4 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

5 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。

6 brokered   

adj.由权力经纪人安排（或控制）的v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的过去式和过去分词 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• a peace plan brokered by the UN 由联合国出面协商的和平计划
• Your husband brokered the deal to go in, transfrer the assets and get our man out. 你丈夫后来插了一脚，把生意都抢了过去，我们的人也被挤了出来。 来自电影对白

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 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。

9 consolidation   

n.合并,巩固

参考例句：

• The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民，对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• The state ensures the consolidation and growth of the state economy. 国家保障国营经济的巩固和发展。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法

10 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

11 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

12 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

13 eligibility   

n.合格，资格

参考例句：

• What are the eligibility requirements? 病人被选参加试验的要求是什么？ 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望
• Eligibility for HINARI access is based on gross national income (GNI). 进入HINARI获取计划是依据国民总收入来评定的。

14 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

15 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

16 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。

17 invaluable   

adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的

参考例句：

• A computer would have been invaluable for this job.一台计算机对这个工作的作用会是无法估计的。
• This information was invaluable to him.这个消息对他来说是非常宝贵的。

18 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。