VOA英语2010年-UN: Deep Concern About Sudan's Abyei Region

The United Nations Security Council on Thursday expressed deep concern about the situation in Sudan's oil-rich Abyei region, where a referendum on the region's future is scheduled for next month.

The U.N. Security Council, in a statement approved by all 15 of its members, notes with deep concern what it calls the absence of an agreement on Abyei. The Council urges the parties in Sudan to calm rising tensions and to reach agreement on Abyei. A referendum on self-determination for Abyei, scheduled for Jan 9, 2011 has been thrown into doubt. The Council welcomed the conclusion of a peaceful registration¹ process for a separate referendum in South Sudan.

In remarks to the Security Council, the head of United Nations peacekeeping, Alain LeRoy, said that although the security situation in Southern Sudan remains² relatively³ calm, it continues to be fragile, and he warned that the security situation could become more tense during and after the referendum.

"As the Council is aware, we are working on options for a possible augmentation of U.N. troops in Sudan, to prevent any deterioration⁴ in the security situation after the referendum, and to increase our capacity to monitor possible ceasefire violations⁵ and protect civilians⁶ throughout the mission area," said LeRoy.

The United States ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, told the Security Council that a successful referendum for Southern Sudan is critical to long-term peace and stability in Sudan, adding that effective completion of registration indicates that polling can and must be concluded on schedule. But she said the status of Abyei remains unresolved.

"Any resolution regarding the future of the Abyei area must respect the legally affirmed rights of the people of that region and it must be reached with the consent of both parties," said Rice. "We also face additional upcoming challenges, including the effective conduct of the Southern Sudan referendum itself."

Rice also called on Sudan to immediately halt aerial bombardments and to end the arrest and harassment⁷ of human rights activists⁸ and journalists.

1 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？

2 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。

3 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

4 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。

5 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

6 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。

7 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

8 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》