White House Rejects Allegations that Aristide was Kidnapped

White House Rejects Allegations that Aristide was Kidnapped

 

Paula Wolfson

 

The Bush administration is rejecting allegations Jean-Bertrand Aristide was forced to resign as president of Haiti and left the country against his will.

 

Spokesman Scott McClellan said the allegations have no basis. "It's complete nonsense!" He said Mr. Aristide was not abducted² or kidnapped and consulted with the U.S. Embassy in Haiti on the best way to give up power and get out of the country safely. "We took steps to protect Mr. Aristide and his family so they would not be harmed as they departed Haiti."

 

But African-American members of the U.S. Congress who have spoken to Mr. Aristide since his arrival in the Central African Republic say he says he was forced to leave.

 

Representatives Charles Rangel and Maxine Waters recounted their conversations in broadcast interviews, as did black activist³ Randall Robertson. They said Jean-Bertrand Aristide told them he was abducted at gunpoint by American soldiers and put aboard a plane.

 

Those words brought a sharp response from Secretary of State Colin Powell. He told reporters that the allegation is absurd and unhelpful, especially at a time when the United States is trying to help restore stability and put a political process on track in Haiti. "He was not kidnapped, we did not force him onto the airplane, he went onto the airplane willingly and that's the truth. And it would have been better for members of Congress who have heard these stories, to ask us about the stories before going public with them, so that we don't make a difficult situation that much more difficult."

 

Secretary Powell said Mr. Aristide wrote his letter of resignation and only then did the United States send in an airplane to get him out of Haiti.

 

注释：

reject [ri5dVekt] vt. 拒绝，抵制

allegation [7Ali5^eiFEn] n. 主张

abduct¹ [Ab5dQkt] vt. 诱拐，绑架

kidnap [5kidnAp] vt. 绑架

U.S. Congress  美国国会

Central African Republic  中非共和国

activist [5Aktivist] n. 激进主义分子

gunpoint [5^QnpCInt] n. 枪口

absurd [Eb5sE:d] adj. 荒谬的，可笑的

resignation [7rezi^5neiFEn] n. 辞职

1 abduct   

vt.诱拐，拐带，绑架

参考例句：

• The police caught the man who tried to abduct the boy for ransom.警察抓住了那个企图拐走这男孩以便勒索赎金的家伙。
• The news that we see those use network abduct children sometimes filled with apprehension.我们有时看到那些利用网络诱拐儿童的新闻都心惊肉跳。

2 abducted   

劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展

参考例句：

• Detectives have not ruled out the possibility that she was abducted. 侦探尚未排除她被绑架的可能性。
• The kid was abducted at the gate of kindergarten. 那小孩在幼儿园大门口被绑架走了。

3 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。