Annan Fires UN Security Chief; Reassigns Assistant Secretary

 

Peter Heinlein

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan has fired his security chief over last August's bombing of the U.N. offices in Baghdad. Mr. Annan took disciplinary action against several other employees, but refused to accept his deputy's resignation.

Mr. Annan announced disciplinary measures Monday against those responsible for security of U.N. personnel in Iraq. He fired global security chief Tun Myat of Burma, and ordered Ramiro Lopez da Silva of Portugal, who was second in command at the Baghdad headquarters, be demoted and reassigned to another post with no security duties.

Mr. Lopes da Silva had held the title Assistant Secretary General.

The actions are based on conclusions of an expert panel that examined the issue of accountability for security lapses² that contributed to the high death toll³ in the Baghdad attack. The August 19 bombing killed 22 people, including Mr. Annan's top envoy⁴ in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.

The report concluded that security officials appeared to have been blinded by the conviction that U.N. personnel and installations would not become a target of attack, despite clear warnings to the contrary.

Two other U.N. administrators⁵ came in for especially harsh criticism. U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard says the two, Boulos Paul Afhadjanian of Jordan and Pa Momodou Sinyan of Gambia, are being charged with dereliction of duty for failing to act to have protective film put on windows at the Baghdad headquarters facility.

"These two officers displayed profound lack of responsibility and ineptitude⁶ in the manner they sought to implement⁷ the request for installation of the film," he said. "Their combined response indicates a lethargy that is bordering on gross negligence⁸."

Investigators⁹ said as many as 90 percent of the deaths in the Baghdad headquarters bombing were due to injuries caused by flying glass.

Deputy Secretary General Louise Frechette of Canada also submitted her resignation to accept responsibility for the security failures. Ms. Frechette is chairperson of the U.N. Steering¹⁰ Group on Iraq.

Secretary General Annan refused to accept Ms. Frechette's resignation, but instead sent a letter to all members of the steering group expressing disappointment with their collective failure to address security needs.

A spokesman for the U.N. employees union said he was surprised at how light the punishments were, considering the security failures had contributed to the deaths of 22 people. Union vice¹¹ president Guy Candusso pointed¹² out that those being disciplined would be allowed to retire with full pensions, and said "they should still have to answer for their roles."

注释:
U.N. Secretary General 联合国秘书长
disciplinary [5disiplinEri] adj. 惩诫性的
resignation [7rezi^5neiFEn] n. 辞职
demote [di5mEut] vt. 使降级，使降职
expert panel 专家小组
accountability [E7kauntE5biliti] n. 责任
lapse¹ [lAps] n. 失误，过失
death toll n. 死亡人数
envoy [5envCi] n. 外交使节，特使
dereliction of duty 失职，玩忽职守
protective film 保护模
profound [prE5faund] adj. 深刻的
ineptitude [i5neptitju:d] n. 不称职
U.N. Steering Group 联合国指导小组
pension [5penFEn] n. 养老金，退休金

1 lapse   

n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效

参考例句：

• The incident was being seen as a serious security lapse.这一事故被看作是一次严重的安全疏忽。
• I had a lapse of memory.我记错了。

2 lapses   

n.失误，过失( lapse的名词复数 )；小毛病；行为失检；偏离正道v.退步( lapse的第三人称单数 )；陷入；倒退；丧失

参考例句：

• He sometimes lapses from good behavior. 他有时行为失检。 来自辞典例句
• He could forgive attacks of nerves, panic, bad unexplainable actions, all sorts of lapses. 他可以宽恕突然发作的歇斯底里，惊慌失措，恶劣的莫名其妙的动作，各种各样的失误。 来自辞典例句

3 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

4 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。

5 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

6 ineptitude   

n.不适当；愚笨，愚昧的言行

参考例句：

• History testifies to the ineptitude of coalitions in waging war.历史昭示我们，多数国家联合作战，其进行甚为困难。
• They joked about his ineptitude.他们取笑他的笨拙。

7 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。

8 negligence   

n.疏忽，玩忽，粗心大意

参考例句：

• They charged him with negligence of duty.他们指责他玩忽职守。
• The traffic accident was allegedly due to negligence.这次车祸据说是由于疏忽造成的。

9 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。

11 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

12 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。