VOA标准英语2011--Yemen Instability Stokes Terror Concerns

Yemen Instability Stokes Terror Concerns

 

Thousands of people took to the streets in cities across Yemen Friday, calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to be put on trial. Saleh signed an accord on Wednesday to surrender power after 33 years of rule. Western countries and Yemen’s neighbors fear the political instability could be exploited by terror groups.

Thousands of people took to the streets of the Yemeni capital after Friday prayers - protesting against the immunity¹ from prosecution² granted to President Ali Abdullah Saleh in return for his resignation.

“Our objection to the deal is the immunity from prosecution, which the Gulf³ Cooperation Council gave to him [Ali Saleh]," said one demonstrator. "This is the thing that we reject completely and that is why we wills stay here [protesting] until it is achieved.”

There were simultaneous protests in Sana'a in support of the president. Local media say fighting broke out between security forces and army defectors.

Saleh signed the accord Wednesday, pledging to step down within 30 days and hand over power to his deputy before negotiations⁴ with the opposition⁵. The deal was hailed as a breakthrough by its brokers⁶, members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Thousands of protesters march during a demonstration7 demanding the prosecution of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sana'a, Nov. 24, 2011.

But Gala Riani of IHS Global Insight says many questions hang over the agreement.

“One of the problems is of course that Saleh remains⁸, in name, as the president. Yesterday, five people were killed in Sana'a in clashes," said Riani. "Immediately afterwards you had a statement from ‘the President, Saleh’, condemning⁹ what had happened and saying he would issue a probe into it. So that really poses an important question as to, ‘What kind of power does he still have?’”

Thousands of protestors watched the signing on television - which prompted celebrations in the capital. But Riani says many powerful institutions remain loyal to Saleh.

“Will he still be using these groups, including his son who is head of the Republican Guard, to interfere¹⁰ essentially¹¹ in political affairs," asked Riani.

The West is paying close attention to what happens in Yemen. The man accused of trying to blow-up this Northwest Airlines Flight to Detroit on Christmas Day two years ago, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, is thought to have trained in the country.

The United States regularly conducts unmanned drone strikes against al-Qaeda targets in Yemen. in September a strike killed Anwar Al-Awlaki, accused by the U.S. of being the terror group’s chief propagandist. Again, analyst¹² Gala Riani:

“Even the U.S. I think is not keen to engage more with Yemen," she said. "What they want in Yemen is a political leadership that they can collaborate¹³ with. They certainly had that under Saleh. And they will be looking to perpetuate¹⁴ that and find another leadership that’s willing to collaborate with them and willing to allow them to continue with their counter-terrorist operations.”

Riani warns terror groups like al-Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula are seeking to exploit the political divisions in Yemen to gain more support on the ground.

1 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

2 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

3 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

4 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

5 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。

6 brokers   

n.（股票、外币等）经纪人( broker的名词复数 )；中间人；代理商；（订合同的）中人v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的第三人称单数 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• The firm in question was Alsbery & Co., whiskey brokers. 那家公司叫阿尔斯伯里公司，经销威士忌。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• From time to time a telephone would ring in the brokers' offices. 那两排经纪人房间里不时响着叮令的电话。 来自子夜部分

7 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

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 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

11 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

12 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

13 collaborate   

vi.协作，合作；协调

参考例句：

• The work gets done more quickly when we collaborate.我们一旦合作，工作做起来就更快了。
• I would ask you to collaborate with us in this work.我们愿意请你们在这项工作中和我们合作。

14 perpetuate   

v.使永存，使永记不忘

参考例句：

• This monument was built to perpetuate the memory of the national hero.这个纪念碑建造的意义在于纪念民族英雄永垂不朽。
• We must perpetuate the system.我们必须将此制度永久保持。