VOA标准英语2009年-Former UN Chief Says Kenya Must Accelerate

Former U.N. Secretary-General, Kofi Annan warns Kenya is at a crossroads and its leaders must act quickly to implement¹ the country's reform process or risk destabilizing the country again. The Geneva-based Kofi Annan Foundation is hosting a two-day meeting aimed at reviewing the mediation² process in Kenya in 2008, which achieved a power-sharing agreement in the country.
　
Former UN chief Kofi Annan speaks during a press conference in Nairobi (file)

Kofi Annan says the meeting is not aimed at renegotiating the Kenya National Accord that he and two other eminent³ African personalities⁴ achieved last year. He says the goal is to take stock of the current situation in Kenya and draw lessons as to how this can advance peace and stability elsewhere in Africa and the wider world.

The former U.N. Secretary-General says negotiating and signing a peace agreement is the easy part. Implementing⁵ it, he says, is much more complex and difficult.

He says some progress has been achieved, but not enough. And he says, that explains the growing frustrations⁶, cynicism and disillusionment of ordinary Kenyans regarding the good faith of their government.

"I believe this disappointment and anger stems partly from the fact that everyone understands what needs to be done, what needs to be done to move the country forward," he said. "So, the average person finds it difficult to comprehend why those changes, some of them very fundamental, are not taking place at a faster pace. But, the widespread disillusionment can also be explained by the fact that ordinary Kenyans do not feel they are part of the reform process."

Ethnic⁷ violence erupted after Kenya's presidential election in December 2007. About 1,200 people were killed and more than 600,000 displaced.

The country was brought back from the brink⁸ of disaster after Kofi Annan and two other eminent African personalities negotiated a power-sharing agreement between the two presidential contenders.

Under the agreement, Mwai Kibaki, remained as president and the leader of the Orange Democratic Party, Raila Odinga, became prime minister.

Annan calls the cessation of violence a great achievement on the part of the Kenyan political leadership and the people of Kenya.

"If the parties had not agreed to enter into negotiations⁹ at an early stage and made concessions¹⁰ because they understood what was at stake, the ethnic dimension of the violence could have made things much, much worse ... Kenya was bleeding and the people wanted peace," he said. "There was no alternative to dialogue and mediation. The leaders found the courage and the wisdom to seek a political settlement and stop the killing¹¹."

President Kibaki and Prime Minister Odinga were invited to attend the two-day conference. After initially¹² accepting the invitation, they declined to come. But other high-ranking Kenyan officials are attending, as are a number of key actors who participated in the mediation effort in early 2008.

Kofi Annan says many of the problems that have been plaguing the African continent for decades continue to thrive in Kenya and elsewhere. He says he believes this is one reason why the world is paying such close attention to the way Kenya grapples with these issues.

He says the world is watching to see how Kenyan leaders respond to their peoples' demands for real change.

1 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

2 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。

3 eminent   

adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的

参考例句：

• We are expecting the arrival of an eminent scientist.我们正期待一位著名科学家的来访。
• He is an eminent citizen of China.他是一个杰出的中国公民。

4 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。

5 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

6 frustrations   

挫折( frustration的名词复数 )； 失败； 挫败； 失意

参考例句：

• The temptation would grow to take out our frustrations on Saigon. 由于我们遭到挫折而要同西贡算帐的引诱力会增加。
• Aspirations will be raised, but so will frustrations. 人们会产生种种憧憬，但是种种挫折也会随之而来。

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 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。

9 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。

10 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

11 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

12 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。