VOA标准英语2009-Niger Opposition Insists on Return to Consti

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
14 November 2009

 
Niger's opposition¹ coalition² has rejected direct talks with the government unless President Mamadou Tandja reverts³ to constitutional order. The group met in Abuja with former Nigerian military ruler Abdulsalami Abubakar, who is mediating⁴ a resolution to the crisis that has unfolded in Niger.

Opposition leaders along with union representatives and civil society leaders held talks with the ECOWAS-appointed mediator⁵ Abdulsalami Abubakar on Thursday and Friday. They made it clear to the former Nigerian military ruler that a return to constitutional order is a pre-condition for direct talks with President Mamadou Tandja. Former Prime Minister Aboubacar Cisse speaks for the 41-member Niger opposition delegation⁶.

"The key demand is that we consider that the crisis has been prompted by the fact that the constitution has been violated. So the first thing which we are requesting is to come back to constitutional order. And from there other discussions could start. The return of constitutional order is the prerequisite⁷ for starting the dialogue between his [Tandja's] group and the opposition," he said.

On Monday, the ECOWAS mediator met with a Niger government delegation, also in Abuja as a prelude⁸ to a wider stakeholder forum⁹ on Niger at a later date.

West African leaders last month suspended Niger from the ECOWAS regional bloc¹⁰ in protest against what they said were flawed legislative¹¹ elections held there. The European Union, Niger's main aid donor¹², is contemplating¹³ severing¹⁴ ties to pressure Niamey to restore constitutional order.

The United Nations, African Union, the United States and former colonial power France have all criticized President Tandja's move to tighten¹⁵ his grip on power. Analysts¹⁶ say this is a step backwards¹⁷ for democracy in Niger which could set a bad example for leaders in the rest of the West African region.

Cisse says the opposition welcomes the widening international pressure on President Tandja to resolve the crisis.

"We will like to use this opportunity to thank not only ECOWAS, but all the African countries, United Nations, United States, European Union and so on who have really taken a very strong stance and this is something we believe is really forceful in the direction which will help, hopefully, to come to normalcy in the situation," he said.

President Tandja has been in power for almost 10 years and was due to step down next month, but he defied local and international pressure to conduct a referendum, which opened the way for further terms in office.

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

3 reverts   

恢复( revert的第三人称单数 )； 重提； 回到…上； 归还

参考例句：

• The mind reverts to the earliest days of colonial history. 我们回想到早期的殖民地历史。
• Macau reverts to Chinese sovereignty at midnight on December19. 澳门主权于十二月十九日零时回归中国。

4 mediating   

调停，调解，斡旋( mediate的现在分词 )； 居间促成； 影响…的发生； 使…可能发生

参考例句：

• So many factors are mediating. 如此众多的因素在起作用。
• The contrast in mediating noted in the sitting room. 客厅中注重了调和中的对比。

5 mediator   

n.调解人，中介人

参考例句：

• He always takes the role of a mediator in any dispute.他总是在争论中充当调停人的角色。
• He will appear in the role of mediator.他将出演调停者。

6 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

7 prerequisite   

n.先决条件；adj.作为前提的，必备的

参考例句：

• Stability and unity are a prerequisite to the four modernizations.安定团结是实现四个现代化的前提。
• It is a prerequisite of entry to the profession that you pass the exams.做这一行的先决条件是要通过了有关的考试。

8 prelude   

n.序言，前兆，序曲

参考例句：

• The prelude to the musical composition is very long.这首乐曲的序曲很长。
• The German invasion of Poland was a prelude to World War II.德国入侵波兰是第二次世界大战的序幕。

9 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

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 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

12 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

13 contemplating   

深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想

参考例句：

• You're too young to be contemplating retirement. 你考虑退休还太年轻。
• She stood contemplating the painting. 她站在那儿凝视那幅图画。

14 severing   

v.切断，断绝( sever的现在分词 )；断，裂

参考例句：

• The death of a second parent is like severing an umbilical cord to our past. 父母当中第二个人去世，就象斩断了把我们同过去联在一起的纽带。 来自辞典例句
• The severing theory and severing method for brittle block are studied. 研究裂纹技术应用于分离脆性块体的分离理论和分离方法。 来自互联网

15 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

16 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。

17 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。