VOA标准英语2011--Pakistani Boycott Jeopardizes Conference on Afghanistan

Pakistani Boycott¹ Jeopardizes² Conference on Afghanistan

Pakistan's decision to boycott an international conference on Afghanistan’s future is jeopardizing³ the meeting's success. The conference is scheduled to begin Monday in Bonn, Germany.

Anger in Pakistan continues to grow over the deaths of 24 Pakistani soldiers in recent NATO airstrikes along the border with Afghanistan.

Pakistan has blocked critical NATO supply routes into Afghanistan and ordered U.S. personnel to evacuate⁴ an air base believed to be used for launching drones that fire missiles on militant⁵ targets.

“If there is going to be a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Afghanistan, Pakistan is going to have to play a constructive⁶ role in that process,” said Andrew Wilder, an expert on South Asia at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

The Pakistani soldiers' deaths have dealt a blow to U.S.-Pakistan relations.

Islamabad has dismissed international calls to reconsider its boycott of the Bonn conference.

Coalition⁷ forces in Afghanistan are scheduled to withdraw in the next few years, and a goal of the talks is to develop strategies for a smooth transition.

“We believe it is very much in Pakistan’s interest to attend the Bonn conference because the focus of that is all about trying to build a more stable and peaceful Afghanistan,” said State Department spokesman Mark Toner.

Ten years ago, diplomats⁸ attended a conference in Bonn and appointed a transitional government in Afghanistan, following the U.S.-led invasion in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks.

This time, the transfer of security responsibility to Afghan forces is on the agenda.

The complete turnover⁹ will depend on a number of factors, says Ali Jalai, a professor at the National Defense¹⁰ University in Washington.

“One is the building of its capacity until 2014, the other is the progress toward reconciliation¹¹ with the opposition¹² forces fighting against the Afghan government, and third is the cooperation from the regional countries, particularly Pakistan,” Jalali said.

Political reconciliation between the Taliban and the Afghan government is another issue to be discussed in Bonn.

“Everybody is talking about how you meet the Taliban and talk to them now, and it’s extremely difficult. In 2002, it would have been very easy. We failed to do that. That was a very, very big failure,” said Lakhdar Brahimi, a former U.N. special envoy¹³ in Afghanistan.

Brahimi says in the years after the Taliban were driven from power there were not enough international troops to secure the country, allowing the insurgent¹⁴ group to rebuild. He calls that a major mistake of the first Bonn conference and says the international community is to blame.

“We helped the Afghans put this program together, we stopped helping¹⁵ them properly implementing¹⁶ it, by not paying attention to the most important aspect of the process, which is security,” Brahimi said.

The role of international military forces is also on the agenda in Bonn, along with foreign aid after the 2014 deadline for combat soldiers to leave Afghanistan.

1 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

2 jeopardizes   

危及，损害( jeopardize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• If your reckless behavior jeopardizes this mission, you're out! 如果你不注意你的言行，会危及到这次任务你也会被开除！
• Factionalism now seriously jeopardizes our overall interest. 现在闹派性已经严重地妨害我们的大局。

3 jeopardizing   

危及，损害( jeopardize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Plans may also become inefficient in the attainment of objectives by jeopardizing group satisfactions. 用危及群体利益方法去达到目标的计划，也是无效率的。
• That boosted government revenues in the short term, but is now jeopardizing them. Morales将天然气工业，电信业和部分采矿业收归国有的举措吓跑了投资者们。

4 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

5 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

6 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。

7 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

8 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 turnover   

n.人员流动率，人事变动率；营业额，成交量

参考例句：

• The store greatly reduced the prices to make a quick turnover.这家商店实行大减价以迅速周转资金。
• Our turnover actually increased last year.去年我们的营业额竟然增加了。

10 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

11 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

12 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。

13 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

14 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

15 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

16 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句