VOA常速英语2007-Congo Rebels Demand Negotiations

By Noel King
Kigali
18 October 2007

Dissident Congolese General Laurent Nkunda and his National Congress for the People's Defense¹ will not surrender or agree to integrate in Congo's national army without formal negotiations³, a spokesman says. Noel King has more for VOA in this report from Kigali.

Congo's government and rebels are headed for a stalemate as each side refuses the other's demands. Rebels say Congo's announcement that it plans to mount a military offensive has failed to convince them to lay down their arms.

Rene Abanzi, a spokesman for dissident General Laurent Nkunda, says rebels will continue to fight until Congolese President Joseph Kabila comes to the negotiating table.

"We are continuing to call for peace talks. We need a political solution," said Abanzi. "We will continue to explain to the international community that negotiation² is the only way we can solve our problem."

Mr. Kabila announced his plan to use military force to purge⁴ Nkunda's rebellion on Wednesday. He added that the armed forces will also attempt to neutralize⁵ Hutu militias⁶ known as the FDLR, who are responsible for attacks on ethnic⁷ Tutsis in the region.

General Nkunda, an ethnic Tutsi, says the continued presence of the FDLR prompted him to break ranks with the army in 2004.

It is unclear if Congo 's weakened and badly demoralized military has the strength to defeat Nkunda's disciplined fighting force.

An independent political analyst⁸, Jason Stearns, tells VOA that he doubts there can be a military solution.

"The only way we are going to get out of this impasse⁹ is through political negotiation. I do not see any military solution," said Stearns. "Congo's army has tried numerous times in the past to defeat Nkunda militarily and has failed."

Stearns says the civilian¹⁰ population of eastern Congo has borne the brunt of ongoing¹¹ fighting.

The United Nations estimates that 370,000 people have fled their homes since fighting erupted in December 2006. Nkunda says he is trying to protect Congolese Tutsis from attacks by Hutu militias.

Observers and analysts¹² say there is more to the story. They say a number of armed groups want to control eastern Congo's mineral resources

Gold, diamonds and casseterite, a valuable ore used in electronics, are found in eastern Congo.

1 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。

2 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

3 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

4 purge   

n.整肃，清除，泻药，净化；vt.净化，清除，摆脱；vi.清除，通便，腹泻，变得清洁

参考例句：

• The new president carried out a purge of disloyal army officers.新总统对不忠诚的军官进行了清洗。
• The mayoral candidate has promised to purge the police department.市长候选人答应清洗警察部门。

5 neutralize   

v.使失效、抵消，使中和

参考例句：

• Nothing could neutralize its good effects.没有什么能抵消它所产生的好影响。
• Acids neutralize alkalis and vice versa.酸能使碱中和碱，亦能使酸中和。

6 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

7 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。

8 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。

9 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

10 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。

11 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

12 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。