美国国家公共电台 NPR--U.N. debates whether an international force is needed to open aid routes in Haiti

U.N. debates whether an international force is needed to open aid routes in Haiti

Transcript¹

Haiti is spiraling out of control, according to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. How can the U.N. help, and will it involve military intervention²?

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

Haiti is, quote, "spinning out of control." Those are the words of the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The U.N. Security Council is now debating whether an international force is needed to open up aid routes that have been blocked by violent criminals. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

MICHELE KELEMEN, BYLINE³: As cholera⁴ spreads through Haiti's capital, armed gangs are blocking fuel supplies, and Haitians lack access to clean water. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is sounding the alarm.

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ANTONIO GUTERRES: In the present circumstances, we need an armed action to release the port and to allow for humanitarian⁵ corridors to be established. I'm talking of something to be done in support of the Haitian police.

KELEMEN: The U.S. and Canada delivered armored vehicles and other supplies to Haiti's national police over the weekend. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield says the U.S. and Mexico have also drafted a couple of Security Council resolutions, including one that could set the stage for the kind of armed intervention that the secretary-general wants.

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LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Colleagues, if there was ever a moment to come to the aid of Haitians in dire⁶ need, it is now. Faced with extreme violence and instability, Haiti's leaders and people are crying out for help.

KELEMEN: She says the U.S. and the U.N. have also learned lessons from past interventions⁷. A U.N. peacekeeping mission brought cholera to the island over a decade ago, and the U.S. has a long record of failures in Haiti, too. Thomas-Greenfield says diplomats⁹ are working on something different this time.

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THOMAS-GREENFIELD: This resolution will propose a limited, carefully scoped, non-U.N. mission led by a partner country with the deep necessary experience required for such an effort to be effective.

KELEMEN: Both Russia and China, which hold vetoes on the Security Council, sound hesitant to back even a limited mission. China said it should be treated with caution. Russia also criticized the U.S. for a separate resolution that would impose sanctions on armed gangs and their supporters. But both measures are backed by Haiti's foreign minister, Jean Victor Geneus, who spoke¹⁰ to the Security Council.

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JEAN VICTOR GENEUS: (Non-English language spoken).

KELEMEN: "I have this sensitive mission," he said, "of bringing to the Security Council the distress¹¹ call from the people of Haiti." He said millions of children can't go to school, and gangs are plunging¹² the country into chaos¹³. In a nod to concerns about the legitimacy¹⁴ of the current government, the foreign minister said it is committed to future elections as soon as the security situation allows it. The government came to power after Haiti's president was assassinated¹⁵ over a year ago. The top U.N. diplomat⁸ in Haiti, Helen La Lime, says her office is ready to help.

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HELEN LA LIME: Any comprehensive resolution requires a Haitian-led political solution. But a political solution continues to be elusive¹⁶ and on its own is no longer sufficient to address the current crisis.

KELEMEN: She urged the Security Council to act decisively. The U.S. is hoping for a vote soon on its draft resolutions.

Michele Kelemen, NPR News, the State Department.

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1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

5 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

6 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

7 interventions   

n.介入，干涉，干预( intervention的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Economic analysis of government interventions deserves detailed discussion. 政府对经济的干预应该给予充分的论述。 来自辞典例句
• The judge's frequent interventions made a mockery of justice. 法官的屡屡干预是对正义的践踏。 来自互联网

8 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

9 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》

10 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

11 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

12 plunging   

adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• War broke out again, plunging the people into misery and suffering. 战祸复发，生灵涂炭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He is plunging into an abyss of despair. 他陷入了绝望的深渊。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

14 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

15 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

16 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。