2006年VOA标准英语-European Force Commanders in DRC Remain Optimis

By Nico Colombant
Kinshasa
23 October 2006

European rapid reaction force commanders in the Democratic Republic of Congo say they believe the second-round presidential run-off Sunday will have a much more peaceful outcome than the first round, when results were followed by deadly clashes in the capital.

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General Karl Heinz Viereck  
  
The commander of the force, known as EUFOR, General Karl Heinz Viereck, says his forces, currently numbering about 800 in Kinshasa, and 1,200 positioned in nearby Gabon, are better prepared for any major violence.

"I am very positive, insofar as that we do not [make] the same failures again like we did the last time here," said General Viereck. "So, I hope everybody got the experience from last time, and [will] take that into account when we go for the second round of the election. I would not like to speculate what we are going to do. What I will say is, we do [have] the required operation, but after analyzing¹ the situation very carefully."

 
Violence Has Marked Campaign Period in the DRC 
  
Personal security guards for the top finishers President Joseph Kabila and Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba clashed in August in Kinshasa, when first round results came out, leaving nearly two-dozen people dead.

EUFOR was criticized by Congolese media for not doing enough to help the overstretched U.N peacekeeping force.

But General Viereck disputed speculation² that EUFOR's role was merely to protect, and eventually evacuate³ Europeans.

"We are not here for evacuation," he said. "We are here to support the election campaign, and everything points to that we get a successful election. We do our utmost to assure the people here that they have a good chance to go for that date and really get their voice heard. That is what we are here for."

 
EUFOR troops patrolling Kinshasa
  
EUFOR was also criticized after a drone it uses for security surveillance recently crashed, killing⁴ two people.

The force's tactical commander General Christian⁵ Damay said the crash was an accident.

"We took all the necessary measures to correct this," said General Damay. "Now, the drones are flying. Yesterday, we had a flight with all the authorization⁶ from the Congolese authorities. So, it is okay now for the drones."

Campaigning for Sunday's vote has been marked by very few appearances from the two candidates, and recurrent skirmishes between rival supporters.

Bemba, a former rebel leader who got 20 percent in the first round, is popular among many people in Kinshasa and other western areas . These include many who have boycotted⁷ the election process.

Mr. Kabila first became president when his father, former coup⁸ leader Laurent Desire Kabila was assassinated⁹. During the first round, he won almost all votes in the east. Since then, he has allied¹⁰ himself with the western-based third and fourth place first-round finishers.

The mineral-rich Congo has had a brutal¹¹ history, marked by the plundering¹² of its resources, benefiting corrupt¹³ leaders and foreign businessmen, all the while accentuating¹⁴ local social hardship.

1 analyzing   

v.分析；分析( analyze的现在分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析n.分析

参考例句：

• Analyzing the date of some socialist countries presents even greater problem s. 分析某些社会主义国家的统计数据，暴露出的问题甚至更大。 来自辞典例句
• He undoubtedly was not far off the mark in analyzing its predictions. 当然，他对其预测所作的分析倒也八九不离十。 来自辞典例句

2 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

3 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。

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

6 authorization   

n.授权，委任状

参考例句：

• Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.垂钓者必须事先得到公园管理者的许可。
• You cannot take a day off without authorization.未经批准你不得休假。

7 boycotted   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Athletes from several countries boycotted the Olympic Games. 有好几国的运动员抵制奥林匹克运动会。
• The opposition party earlier boycotted the Diet agenda, demanding Miyaji's resignation. 反对党曾杯葛国会议程，要宫路下台。

8 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

9 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

10 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

11 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

12 plundering   

掠夺，抢劫( plunder的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The troops crossed the country, plundering and looting as they went. 部队经过乡村，一路抢劫掳掠。
• They amassed huge wealth by plundering the colonies. 他们通过掠夺殖民地聚敛了大笔的财富。

13 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

14 accentuating   

v.重读( accentuate的现在分词 )；使突出；使恶化；加重音符号于

参考例句：

• Elegant interior design accentuating the unique feeling of space. 优雅的室内设计突显了独特的空间感。 来自互联网
• Accentuating the positive is an article of faith here. 强调积极面在这里已变成一种信仰。 来自互联网