美国国家公共电台 NPR Delegates For Maduro, Guaidó To Meet For Talks On Ending Venezuela's Political Crisis

 

NOEL KING, HOST:

Venezuela's opposition¹ has been trying for months to oust² the authoritarian³ president, Nicolas Maduro. But Maduro isn't budging⁴. So now the two sides are meeting in Norway in an effort to resolve this protracted⁵ political crisis. Reporter John Otis has the story.

JOHN OTIS, BYLINE⁶: Angel Gallardo sells vegetables in the western city of Maracaibo. But his store is mostly empty. Gasoline shortages keep many shoppers home. The city is also plagued by blackouts, which mean that refrigerators often don't work.

ANGEL GALLARDO: (Speaking Spanish).

OTIS: Gallardo says shoppers buy only what they need for their next meal, like a few tomatoes and onions. Gallardo supports opposition leader Juan Guaido, who's recognized by more than 50 countries, including the U.S., as Venezuela's legitimate⁷ head of state. But over the past five months, efforts by Guaido to force President Maduro from power have failed. The stalemate prompted both sides to sit down earlier this month for exploratory talks in Norway.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

NICOLAS MADURO: (Speaking Spanish).

OTIS: In a TV appearance Saturday, Maduro confirmed that there will be a second round of meetings in Oslo this week. The news came as a surprise because opposition leaders have long dismissed negotiations⁸. They claim Maduro used previous talks to stall for time while making no concessions⁹.

(SOUNDBITE OF NEWS CONFERENCE)

JUAN GUAIDO: (Speaking Spanish).

OTIS: At a recent news conference, Guaido declared, we are not going to take part in false negotiations. But at this point, the opposition has few options, says pollster and political analyst¹⁰ Luis Vicente Leon.

LUIS VICENTE LEON: If you have the power to kick Maduro out, you're right; you don't need to negotiate. The problem is that you're saying that with Maduro in power, which means that you have not the force and the power to do it. Why Maduro's still there? Because you cannot kick him out.

OTIS: Meanwhile, analysts¹¹ say several factors could prompt Maduro to cut a deal. These include U.S. sanctions that are squeezing Venezuela's vital oil income. Maduro also fears that the military, which props¹² up his regime, could turn against him, says Geoff Ramsey of the Washington Office on Latin America, a policy and human rights group.

GEOFF RAMSEY: The set of political and economic interests that is currently sustaining Maduro in power, I think, would be very happy to throw him under the bus and replace him with someone that has much more international legitimacy¹³.

OTIS: The opposition insists that negotiations must focus on holding a free and fair presidential election. But there is a long way to go. During the initial talks, the two sides spoke¹⁴ separately with a Norwegian mediator¹⁵ rather than to each other. Some within the opposition fear that Maduro is once again pulling their leg.

ALEXANDER PEREZ: (Speaking Spanish).

OTIS: But here in Maracaibo, as life gets harder by the day, residents like Alexander Perez are desperate for a breakthrough. Perez is a high school principal, but his earnings¹⁶ have been devastated¹⁷ by hyperinflation.

PEREZ: (Speaking Spanish).

OTIS: Perez says he used to spend more per day on bus fare than he would earn at his school. He now walks to work.

PEREZ: (Speaking Spanish).

OTIS: "Negotiations are the best solution," Perez says. "That way, we will avoid bloodshed and even more pain than we're already suffering."

John Otis, NPR News, Maracaibo, Venezuela.

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 oust   

vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐

参考例句：

• The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
• The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。

3 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

4 budging   

v.（使）稍微移动( budge的现在分词 )；（使）改变主意，（使）让步

参考例句：

• Give it up, plumber. She's not budging. 别费劲了，水管工。她不会改变主意的。 来自互联网
• I wondered how Albert who showed no intention of budging, felt about Leopold's desertion. 对于从未有迁徙打算的艾伯特来说，我不知道它会怎样看待利奥波德这样弃它而去呢。 来自互联网

5 protracted   

adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The war was protracted for four years. 战争拖延了四年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We won victory through protracted struggle. 经过长期的斗争，我们取得了胜利。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

8 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。

9 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。

10 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

11 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。

12 props   

小道具； 支柱( prop的名词复数 )； 支持者； 道具； （橄榄球中的）支柱前锋

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The government props up the prices of farm products to support farmers' incomes. 政府保持农产品价格不变以保障农民们的收入。

13 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

14 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

15 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。

16 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

17 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。