2006年VOA标准英语-UN Calls for Negotiations in Eastern DRC

By Naomi Schwarz
Dakar
27 November 2006

United Nations officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo are calling for an end to hostilities¹ in the eastern region bordering Rwanda. U.N. peacekeepers earlier intervened to block forces loyal to renegade rebel leader Laurent Nkunda from advancing further after the rebels captured a small town on Sunday. Naomi Schwarz reports from VOA's regional bureau in Dakar.

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Policemen secure area in center of Kinshasa, 27 Nov. 2006

U.N. officials and local journalists say several people were killed and thousands fled their homes in eastern DRC, in the wake of clashes between rebel forces, Congolese military, and U.N. troops.

U.N. spokesman Kemal Saiki says that the international organization is appealing for calm.

"We are calling for an immediate² end to the fighting," Saiki explained, "and we are emphasizing the fact that what brought about this fighting is a political issue, and the political issue, the only way to solve them is to address them through a political solution."

The DRC's Minister of Interior and the deputy head of the U.N. mission there have gone to the region to try to negotiate with the rebels.

When the DRC's civil war ended in 2003, General Nkunda refused to join the newly integrated army. Since then, there have been several clashes with Nkunda's forces.

Nkunda has said that he wants to protect his people, Congolese ethnic³ Tutsis, who he says face persecution⁴ from the new army.

But Jason Stearns, an analyst⁵ for the Brussels-based think tank, International Crisis Group, says he does not believe this most recent unrest was not part of a larger strategy.

"The trigger appears to have been the killing⁶ of a Tutsi civilian⁷ who was close to one of the commanders in this group," Stearns said. "He was killed at a police checkpoint in the town of Saké just to the west of Goma. So after he was killed, the dissident forces, who are under the command of General Laurent Nkunda launched an attack on the town of Saké."

Goma is a major city near Rwanda's border. In fighting in 2004, Nkunda's fighters had briefly⁸ taken over the other major eastern city, Bukavu.

Humanitarian⁹ organizations have accused Nkunda of war crimes and human rights abuses.

The U.N. spokesman Saiki says that only the Congolese government can decide whether to arrest Nkunda.

"I cannot speculate about that. This is a question that should be addressed to the Congolese government," Saiki said.

Congo's capital, Kinshasa, also recently experienced unrest surrounding the results of the October 29 presidential election. Incumbent¹⁰ President Joseph Kabila who is popular in the east won the vote, but results have yet to be certified¹¹ amid a challenge by his rival former Uganda-backed rebel Jean-Pierre Bemba.

1 hostilities   

n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事

参考例句：

• Mexico called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 墨西哥要求立即停止敌对行动。
• All the old hostilities resurfaced when they met again. 他们再次碰面时，过去的种种敌意又都冒了出来。

2 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

3 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

4 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

5 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。

6 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。

7 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

8 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

9 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。

10 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

11 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。