VOA标准英语2010年-Gadhafi Lashes Out at Organizations at

More than 40 European Union and African leaders met in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, for the third African Union-European Union Summit. Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi chaired the summit, slamming international organizations, including the WTO, World Bank and the United Nations.?

Summit participants from both the European Union and the African continent stressed the theme of cooperation during several meetings Tuesday, but it was not clear if either side had the same vision of what that cooperation should look like.

Libyan leader Colonel Moammar Gadhafi opened the two day summit in the Libyan capital, lashing¹ out at the World Trade Organization and the World Bank, claiming they had done little during their years of existence to help developing countries.

He says developing countries are facing debt payments to the International Monetary² Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization and he worries that there may be a problem in meeting these obligations. He stresses that poor countries in the developing world, especially those in Africa, do not profit from the WTO, calling it a tool in the modern version of colonialism.

The Libyan leader went on to call for the abolition³ of the WTO, urging countries that have joined to withdraw and others not to join.

Libyan government TV showed a host of European leaders greeting Mr. Ghadafi, including the prime ministers of Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Turkey and Belgium. Several officials stressed the need to increase trade and urged African states to lower tariffs⁴ on European products.

Noticeable was the absence of Sudanese leader Omar Hassan al Bashir. Some summit participants have been urging Sudan to accept the results of an expected referendum, early next year, over the independence of southern Sudan.

Arab Maghreb Union Secretary General Habib Ben Yahia noted⁵ he has seen, what he calls, a transformation⁶ in the mentality⁷ of European states since the advent⁸ of the first EU - AU summit in Lisbon.

He argues there has been a transformation from the mentality of hegemony into a mentality of cooperation and a sense of mutual⁹ interests, mutual respect, and respect for the honor and independence of developing nations.

Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker echoed the same theme in an interview with Libyan TV, stressing that Europeans often make the mistake of not talking to people from other continents.

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy noted that Africa has great potential, but the issue of poverty must be addressed.

1 lashing   

n.鞭打；痛斥；大量；许多v.鞭打( lash的现在分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• The speaker was lashing the crowd. 演讲人正在煽动人群。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The rain was lashing the windows. 雨急打着窗子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

3 abolition   

n.废除，取消

参考例句：

• They declared for the abolition of slavery.他们声明赞成废除奴隶制度。
• The abolition of the monarchy was part of their price.废除君主制是他们的其中一部分条件。

4 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

5 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。

6 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

7 mentality   

n.心理，思想，脑力

参考例句：

• He has many years'experience of the criminal mentality.他研究犯罪心理有多年经验。
• Running a business requires a very different mentality from being a salaried employee.经营企业所要求具备的心态和上班族的心态截然不同。

8 advent   

n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临

参考例句：

• Swallows come by groups at the advent of spring. 春天来临时燕子成群飞来。
• The advent of the Euro will redefine Europe.欧元的出现将重新定义欧洲。

9 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。