VOA标准英语2015--迪亚巴克尔和平带来繁荣和发展

 

With Peace Comes Hope of Prosperity in Diyarbakir 迪亚巴克尔和平带来繁荣和发展

ISTANBUL—

Diyarbakir, the main city in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish southeast region, has started to benefit from the return of peace after being the center of a long Kurdish rebel conflict. The city has started to enjoy prosperity and development. But, a recent wave of violent protests has called into question those successes.

A construction boom in Diyarbakir is one of the most visible signs of the fruits of the ongoing¹ peace process between the government and the Kurdish rebel group the PKK.

Diyar towers, which offers luxury apartments, is the latest construction project of Ali Karakas, who grew up in Sweden after his family fled political oppression in the 1990s.

Hopes of peace and with it, business opportunities, brought him back home.

"2007 was the beginning of the mood of optimism. It was the period where investment incentives² were offered by the state and the peace process initiated³.  These gave us hope as businessmen. Diyarbakir is a big market with a big population, and the need for housing continues to rise. Every year 10 to 15 thousand apartments are built in Diyarbakir," said Karakas.

With UNESCO considering making Diyarbakir’s famous city walls a World Heritage Site, a potential tourism boom could also be in the offing.

The city’s old quarter is also witnessing signs of hope, with cafes opening in the myriad⁴ of back streets, once the place of vicious fighting between state and rebels.

The ruling AK Party claims as people become prosperous, they are less likely to support a return to conflict.

That is why Fatma Oncu, an AKP national committee member from Diyarbakir, says they have made economic development a key  priority.

"We have to consider the impact of government policies here. In an economic sense there are policies from tax incentives to other contributions as well as treating this region as a privileged place. These have the biggest impact on growth.  My personal thought is that growth is shaped by creating a security zone," said Oncu.

But Diyarbakir witnessed a return to political violence in October with clashes claiming nearly 50 lives. While there have been some winners, many have seen little of the peace dividend⁵.

Diyarbakir’s Baglar district is home to hundreds of thousands of people  - many of whom were told by security forces to leave their villages in their fight against the PKK.

The DTK, an umbrella organization for pro-Kurdish groups, is linked to the PKK. Hilmi Aydogdu, co-chair of the DTK, says without political concessions⁶, prosperity will not bring peace and stability.

"The war, yes, has something to do with poverty and richness but the war in Kurdistan was not only a matter of hunger.  The war in Kurdistan was a matter of nationality, of language, of identity, of culture! It was a matter of securing democratic rights under the protection of constitution. Unless these demands are met, economical richness and welfare cannot eliminate the reality of this region, "said Aydogdu.

The recent clashes are weighing heavily on the minds of many who have invested in Diyarbakir and in peace in the region, says construction company owner Karakas.

"The recent developments concerning the peace process worry us a lot. The halting of the peace process would mean the end of trade for us among other things. Now we have reached a very positive state, people consume and shop in a very secure environment. The halting of the peace process would mean the loss of this feeling of security and the trade to get into a bad track, " he said..

Diyarbakir was once one of the region’s wealthiest and most prosperous cities. The hope is that a permanent peace will bring back past riches. But like the peace process, that hope is hanging in the balance.

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

3 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

4 myriad   

adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量

参考例句：

• They offered no solution for all our myriad problems.对于我们数不清的问题他们束手无策。
• I had three weeks to make a myriad of arrangements.我花了三个星期做大量准备工作。

5 dividend   

n.红利，股息；回报，效益

参考例句：

• The company was forced to pass its dividend.该公司被迫到期不分红。
• The first quarter dividend has been increased by nearly 4 per cent.第一季度的股息增长了近 4%。

6 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。