2007年VOA标准英语-Ghana's Kufuor Expresses Dismay Over Zimbabwe V

By Tendai Maphosa
London
15 March 2007

Ghanaian President John Kufuor, who holds the rotating African Union chairmanship, has called the turmoil² in Zimbabwe "very embarrassing" and says the AU was doing all it could to help the embattled country. Mr. Kufuor made his comment Wednesday, in London, during a state visit to Britain. Tendai Maphosa has more from London for VOA.

 
President Kufuor listens to a reporter's question during a joint³ news conference with Britain's PM Tony Blair, unseen, 14 Mar¹ 2007
President Kufuor told an audience at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London that while the political situation in his country may be improving, a lack of respect for human rights is still the reality for some African countries, in particular Zimbabwe.

The violence in Zimbabwe has drawn⁴ new attention to the deteriorating⁵ situation in the southern African country, where an increasingly autocratic President Robert Mugabe is blamed by opponents for repression⁶, corruption⁷, acute food shortages and inflation of 1,700 percent - the highest in the world.

Neighboring African countries have drawn criticism from the international community for not doing enough to stem the oppression of the government of President Robert Mugabe.

In comments to the BBC this week, the U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe, Christopher Dell, expressed disappointment at what he called the passivity of neighboring states, including South Africa, in the face of the suffering of Zimbabweans.

But Mr. Kufuor defended how the leaders of Nigeria, South Africa and other African countries have responded to the crisis.

"The African Union is very uncomfortable," he said. "I know personally that presidents like [Olusegun] Obasanjo and [Thabo] Mbeki and others have tried desperately⁸ to exercise some influence for the better, but they came up against stiff resistance. What can Mbeki, as a man alone do against Zimbabwe? In our own various ways we are trying to exercise some influence. I tell you we are serious."

 
Robert Mugabe (file photo)
On Thursday, it appeared one African nation was taking action. Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete flew to Harare to hold talks with President Mugabe, according to the presidential office in Tanzania. Officials said Kikwete, a respected diplomat⁹ and peacemaker, was hoping to cool tensions in Zimbabwe. Tanzania is one of three Southern African nations appointed by a regional bloc¹⁰ to try to help calm the turmoil in Zimbabwe.

But protesters, who interrupted Mr. Kufuor's speech in London on several occasions, were adamant¹¹ that more needed to be done to loosen Mr. Mugabe's grip on power.

Among the protesters was Brilliant Pongo.

"We expect them to come out more openly and condemn¹² what is happening in Zimbabwe," he said. "There's been a lot of quiet diplomacy¹³ going on behind the scenes. They keep saying they are doing a lot of work behind the scenes. We have not seen the fruits of that work. This is why we are coming out here to express our disgust and anger at the situation in Zimbabwe."

The demonstrators in London echoed the beliefs of many Zimbabweans still living in the country. They say that while their country, which gained independence in 1980, is free from colonial rule, they are not truly free, since President Robert Mugabe, who has been in power since independence, continues to deny his people basic human rights.

1 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

2 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

3 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

4 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

5 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

6 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

7 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

8 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

9 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

10 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

11 adamant   

adj.坚硬的，固执的

参考例句：

• We are adamant on the building of a well-off society.在建设小康社会这一点上，我们是坚定不移的。
• Veronica was quite adamant that they should stay on.维罗妮卡坚信他们必须继续留下去。

12 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

13 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。