2006年VOA标准英语-Government Official: Ethiopia Not Planning to T

By Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi
27 December 2006

Somali government troops, backed by Ethiopian forces, Wednesday were heading to the Somali capital, the base of the Islamic Courts Union. But Ethiopia's information minister tells VOA it is not his country's intention to take control of the capital. Meanwhile, analysts¹ say Ethiopia may be getting in over its head if it plans to conduct a long-term offensive against Somali Islamists. Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi.

 
Transitional Federal Government soldier with his gun patrols in Baidoa, 27 Dec 2006 
By midday Wednesday local time, government troops were some 30 kilometers outside of Mogadishu. Earlier, government troops, backed by Ethiopian forces, took control of the town of Jowhar, some 90 kilometers north of the capital.

Although Ethiopian forces have been heavily involved in Somalia's recent fighting, Ethiopia's Minister of Information Berhane Hailu tells VOA Somali government troops are on their own in the capital.

"The forces of the Ethiopian defense² are not in a position, or they do not have [a] strategy, to enter Mogadishu. If it is necessary to control Mogadishu, the forces of the transitional federal government are enough," he said. "So, the priority that should be given at this moment is to have peace talks between the transitional government and the Islamic Courts."

But eyewitnesses³ in Jowhar Wednesday told the French news agency, AFP,  that Ethiopian troops appeared to be marching towards Mogadishu after Islamist fighters fled the town. One resident said he was under the impression that the fighting is heading to the capital.

 
Transitional Federal Government soldiers patrol in Burhakaba, Somalia, 26 Dec 2006
Somalia's ambassador to Ethiopia, Abdikarin Farah, Wednesday told reporters in Addis Ababa that Somali government troops also do not intend to go into Mogadishu so as to avoid incurring⁴ civilian⁵ casualties, but plan to surround the city until Islamist fighters surrender. The Islamists, in the meantime, vowed⁶ to re-group in the capital and continue the war.

 
A destroyed truck belonging to Islamic Courts soldiers lies beside a road at Burhakaba, Somalia, 26 Dec 2006
Ethiopian forces played an active role in heavy fighting in various parts of Somalia over the past week, bombing two airports, firing missiles at retreating Islamic fighters, and waging ground battles alongside government troops.

Minister Berhane explains why Ethiopia joined forces with Somalia to battle with fighters from the Islamic Courts Union.

"They are a threat to the national interests of Ethiopia. They have been planning to attack Ethiopia in different ways, including terrorist acts around the Somali region in Ethiopia, [also] in some parts of the country, including Addis Ababa [Ethiopian capital]. So our interest is both to protect our national interest and also to assist the transitional federal government of Somalia," he said.

The Islamic Courts Union, meanwhile, has long spoken out against Ethiopia's support of Somalia's transitional government and vehemently⁷ opposes the presence of foreign peacekeepers in the country, particularly from Ethiopia.

The recent fighting was sparked by the passing of a deadline the Islamists set to order Ethiopian troops to leave Somalia or else face war.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi Tuesday declared that his forces had "broken the back" of the Islamic Courts Union and forced them to retreat, leading Ethiopia to be "halfway⁸" to a decisive victory.

But some analysts say that it could be very difficult for Ethiopia to sustain a longer-term offensive against Somali Islamists.

David Shinn is a former U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia who is now a political science professor at George Washington University.

He tells VOA that, while Ethiopia may have scored a short-term military victory against the Islamists, the Islamists would likely resume fighting once Ethiopia withdraws, as the withdrawal⁹ could create a partial vacuum.

Shinn says he questions the overall gain to Somalia from the presence of Ethiopian troops, but says the situation would be worse if Ethiopia decides to stay.

"If the Ethiopians attempt to stay for a long period of time, which they say they're not, then you open up the prospect¹⁰ of a long, drawn-out, and nasty guerilla conflict, which I don't think that the Ethiopians find a very pleasant situation," he said.

Meanwhile, as the fighting rages in Somalia, Djibouti and Kenya called on the Ethiopian government to pull its troops out of Somalia, saying that the troops' presence threatens regional stability. Kenya says it is arranging an emergency regional meeting on the issue.

The U.S. State Department Tuesday issued a statement urging Ethiopia to show "maximum restraint" in Somalia, but saying that Ethiopia has "genuine security concerns" and has sent its troops into Somalia at the request of the "legitimate¹¹ governing authority" of the Baidoa-based transitional government.

1 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

2 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。

3 eyewitnesses   

目击者( eyewitness的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The examination of all the eyewitnesses took a week. 对所有证人的质询用了一周的时间。
• Several eyewitnesses testified that they saw the officers hit Miller in the face. 几位目击证人证明他们看见那几个警官打了米勒的脸。

4 incurring   

遭受，招致，引起( incur的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Many of the world's farmers are also incurring economic deficits. 世界上许多农民还在遭受经济上的亏损。
• He spoke to the Don directly, taking a chance on incurring Michael's ill will. 他直接向老头子谈自己的意见，这显然要冒引起迈克尔反感的风险。 来自教父部分

5 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。

6 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

7 vehemently   

adv. 热烈地

参考例句：

• He argued with his wife so vehemently that he talked himself hoarse. 他和妻子争论得很激烈，以致讲话的声音都嘶哑了。
• Both women vehemently deny the charges against them. 两名妇女都激烈地否认了对她们的指控。

8 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

9 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

10 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

11 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。