VOA标准英语2009年-Palestinian Unity Meeting Opens in Cairo

Top Palestinian leaders from the rival Hamas and Fatah factions¹ are meeting in Cairo to try to hammer out an agreement that will pave the way for a unity² government in both Gaza and the West Bank. Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, a veteran of many previous mediation³ efforts, is chairing the conference.
　
Fatah's Ahmed Qurei (l) and Hamas' Mussa Abu Marzug speak during their meeting in Cairo, 26 Feb 2009 (file)

Top Palestinian leaders from all major factions, including the rival Fatah and Hamas groups, are meeting in Cairo in a bid to resolve long-standing grievances⁴ and pave the way for a new national unity government.

Egyptian intelligence chief, General Omar Suleiman, looking stern-faced and resolute⁵, told the participants that it was in their interest and the interest of the Palestinian people to reconcile, and that they should "do their utmost" towards that end.

Participants at the ten-day conference will form five committees to tackle the key issues of forming a unity government; preparing for presidential and parliamentary elections, rebuilding Palestinian security forces, and reorganizing the Palestinian Liberation Organization.

Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa warned the Palestinian factions at the meeting that disunity would have negative consequences for both them and for the Arab world.

He says the situation remains⁶ critical, but Palestinian and Arab reconciliation⁷ will constitute a strong weapon in the crucial phase to come ... He says, I am confident that you understand the intricacy of the situation and the acute challenges in the wake of global change such as the new U.S. administration, the economic crisis, and the crisis in international relations.

Nearly $5 billion were pledged recently by international donors⁹ to rebuild the war-torn Gaza Strip, following a bitter 21-day conflict between Israel and the Hamas group that controls the territory.
　
Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs (File)

Most donor⁸ states back the Palestinian Authority of President Mahmoud Abbas, and are refusing to allow aid money to go to the rival Hamas leadership, which has controlled Gaza for nearly two years.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit told the gathering¹⁰ it is indispensable that rival Palestinians show flexibility¹¹ to overcome their differences.

He says, we have the abiding¹² hope that you will all show the needed flexibility and strong will to overcome the differences in views and put them aside while tackling thorny¹³ issues and above all taking into account Palestinian interests.

Feuding¹⁵ between Hamas and Fatah brought the Palestinian territories to the brink¹⁶ of civil war well before the recent Gaza conflict with Israel. An agreement to form a unity government, signed in February 2007 in Saudi Arabia, failed to solve the inter-Palestinian feud¹⁴, leading instead to the Hamas takeover of Gaza the following June.

1 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

2 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

3 mediation   

n.调解

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
• The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。

4 grievances   

n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚

参考例句：

• The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 resolute   

adj.坚决的，果敢的

参考例句：

• He was resolute in carrying out his plan.他坚决地实行他的计划。
• The Egyptians offered resolute resistance to the aggressors.埃及人对侵略者作出坚决的反抗。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

8 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。

9 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

11 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

12 abiding   

adj.永久的，持久的，不变的

参考例句：

• He had an abiding love of the English countryside.他永远热爱英国的乡村。
• He has a genuine and abiding love of the craft.他对这门手艺有着真挚持久的热爱。

13 thorny   

adj.多刺的，棘手的

参考例句：

• The young captain is pondering over a thorny problem.年轻的上尉正在思考一个棘手的问题。
• The boys argued over the thorny points in the lesson.孩子们辩论功课中的难点。

14 feud   

n.长期不和；世仇；v.长期争斗；世代结仇

参考例句：

• How did he start his feud with his neighbor?他是怎样和邻居开始争吵起来的？
• The two tribes were long at feud with each other.这两个部族长期不和。

15 feuding   

vi.长期不和（feud的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Riccardo and Cafiero had been feuding so openly that the whole town knew about it. 里卡多和卡菲埃罗一直公开地闹别扭，全城的人都知道此事。 来自辞典例句
• The two families have been feuding with each other for many generations. 这两个家族有好多代的世仇了。 来自互联网

16 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。