VOA标准英语2009年-Clinton Says Bashir Will Be Held Responsible fo

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir will be held responsible for any deaths among Darfur refugees caused by his decision to expel foreign aid groups from the country. Clinton says the Obama administration will soon name a special envoy¹ for Sudan.
　
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (file photo)

Clinton had harsh words for both the Sudanese leader and countries that have been protective of his government, saying that President Bashir will be held responsible for any deaths in Darfur that result from his decisions, while his international allies should make up for the assistance lost due to his expulsion order.

The secretary's remarks, at a news conference with the top officials of the Northern Ireland administration, were the strongest to date by a senior U.S. official over the Sudanese leader's decision last week to expel 13 international aid groups and subsequent order that all such groups cease activity in Sudan by the end of the year.

Clinton said Mr. Bashir's actions, an apparent response to the International Criminal Court arrest order against him for allegedly orchestrating Darfur war crimes, has created a "horrendous² situation" that will cause untold³ misery⁴ and suffering in Darfur, especially in refugee camps.

"The real question is what kind of pressure can be brought to bear on President Bashir and the government in Khartoum [to get them] to understand that they will be held responsible for every single death that occurs in those camps. Because by their expulsion of the aid workers, who came from all over the world to assist with the health and the sanitation⁵ and the security and the education of the refugees, they are putting those 1.4 million lives at risk," she said.

Clinton said the Bashir government, which created the refugee problem in the first place, bears what she called a "sense of responsibility and infamy⁶" for what is occurring and that his international protectors share liability for the situation.

"For those governments that support President Bashir's decision to expel the aid workers, they have a responsibility to persuade the government in Sudan to change its decision, to let the aid workers back in, or they must replace with money and personnel, those who have been expelled, so that innocent lives are not lost and further undermined," he said.

Clinton said the Obama administration will name a U.S. special envoy for Sudan in a matter of days. The post has been vacant since Richard Williamson stepped down as Sudan trouble-shooter at the end of the Bush administration.

Non-governmental organizations involved with Darfur have been pushing for a new envoy and more assertive⁷ U.S. diplomacy⁸ on Sudan.

Earlier Tuesday, State Department Spokesman Robert Wood said the United States is reaching out to Arab League and African Union member states as well as to China, which has close economic relations with Sudan, to try to get them use their influence to avert⁹ a humanitarian¹⁰ "catastrophe¹¹."

Wood again stressed U.S. opposition¹² to proposals by some Arab states to defer¹³ the case against Mr. Bashir by the International Criminal Court, saying that the United States does not accept any link between the ICC action and the humanitarian situation.

1 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

2 horrendous   

adj.可怕的，令人惊惧的

参考例句：

• He described it as the most horrendous experience of his life.他形容这是自己一生中最可怕的经历。
• The mining industry in China has a horrendous safety record.中国的煤矿工业具有令人不安的安全记录。

3 untold   

adj.数不清的，无数的

参考例句：

• She has done untold damage to our chances.她给我们的机遇造成了不可估量的损害。
• They suffered untold terrors in the dark and huddled together for comfort.他们遭受着黑暗中的难以言传的种种恐怖，因而只好挤在一堆互相壮胆。

4 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

5 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

6 infamy   

n.声名狼藉，出丑，恶行

参考例句：

• They may grant you power,honour,and riches but afflict you with servitude,infamy,and poverty.他们可以给你权力、荣誉和财富，但却用奴役、耻辱和贫穷来折磨你。
• Traitors are held in infamy.叛徒为人所不齿。

7 assertive   

adj.果断的，自信的，有冲劲的

参考例句：

• She always speaks an assertive tone.她总是以果断的语气说话。
• China appears to have become more assertive in the waters off its coastline over recent years.在近些年，中国显示出对远方海洋的自信。

8 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。

9 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。

10 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

11 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

12 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。

13 defer   

vt.推迟，拖延；vi.(to)遵从，听从，服从

参考例句：

• We wish to defer our decision until next week.我们希望推迟到下星期再作出决定。
• We will defer to whatever the committee decides.我们遵从委员会作出的任何决定。