2006年VOA标准英语-Kashmir Talks End, Indian PM Hopeful

By Patricia Nunan
New Delhi
25 May 2006
 

Indian PM Manmohan Singh addresses a press conference in Srinagar, India, Thursday, May 25, 2006   
  
India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has wrapped up two days of roundtable discussions on the Kashmir conflict with promises to improve human rights in the divided region and to review the cases of Muslim militants² who want to return home from neighboring Pakistan. The prime minister expressed regret that a key separatist alliance had boycotted³ the discussions.

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The Indian Prime Minister says his government is willing to find ways to interact with anyone involved in the Kashmir conflict, if they renounce⁴ violence.

Mr. Singh says security agencies will review the cases of young Muslim militants who have fought against authorities in Indian-administered Kashmir, before fleeing to the Pakistan side. If they give up violence, Mr. Singh says, they should be welcomed home.

"The general principle is that those young people who have been misled and have gone to the other side, but now they do want to come back and lead a life of normalcy, there should be scope to permit that option for these young people," he said.

The prime minister also told Indian troops in Kashmir that there should be "zero tolerance⁵" for human-rights abuses by security forces, which analysts⁶ say have fueled the Kashmir conflict.

Mr. Singh made his comments at the close of a two-day roundtable discussion with political groups in Indian-controlled Kashmir. The region is claimed by both India and Pakistan. India holds about two-thirds of the border region, where it has been fighting an insurgency⁷ by Islamic militants since 1989.

The militant¹ groups want the predominantly Muslim region to be independent, or to merge⁸ with Pakistan, which controls the remaining third.

Security in Kashmir's summer capital, Srinigar, where talks were held, was extremely high. But suspected militants carried out a number of grenade attacks, injuring at least 30 people.

Militant leaders ridiculed⁹ the talks, which they say will accomplish little until they are brought into discussions. The All Parties Hurriyat Conference, an alliance of several separatist groups, boycotted the meeting - demanding that they be allowed to meet with the prime minister separately.

Mr. Singh said that he regretted that decision.

"I do hope, and I think they would also recognize that it is to their advantage, and to the advantage of all the people of Jammu and Kashmir that we must put all the wisdom, knowledge and experience that is available in this beautiful state to put an end to this sad chapter of the past," he added.

Mr. Singh also announced the formation of five working groups for Kashmir aimed at improving the economy and developing stronger relations between the central government and local groups.

1 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。

2 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

3 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。

4 renounce   

v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系

参考例句：

• She decided to renounce the world and enter a convent.她决定弃绝尘世去当修女。
• It was painful for him to renounce his son.宣布与儿子脱离关系对他来说是很痛苦的。

5 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

6 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。

7 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

8 merge   

v.(使)结合，(使)合并，(使)合为一体

参考例句：

• I can merge my two small businesses into a large one.我可以将我的两家小商店合并为一家大商行。
• The directors have decided to merge the two small firms together.董事们已决定把这两家小商号归并起来。

9 ridiculed   

v.嘲笑，嘲弄，奚落( ridicule的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Biosphere 2 was ultimately ridiculed as a research debade, as exfravagant pseudoscience. 生物圈2号最终被讥讽为科研上的大失败，代价是昂贵的伪科学。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She ridiculed his insatiable greed. 她嘲笑他的贪得无厌。 来自《简明英汉词典》