2006年VOA标准英语-Somali Leaders Agree to Resolve Difference

By Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi
05 January 2006

Somalia's president and speaker of the parliament signed an agreement to put aside their differences and convene¹ parliament on Somali soil.  But the agreement did not resolve the major dispute between the two over where the new government will be based.

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The five-point declaration begins by acknowledging that the division between President Abdullahi Yusuf and speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan caused, in its words, "serious damage" to how Somalia's government has carried out its duties and responsibilities.

Somalia's state minister of parliament and government relations Abdurahman Ibbi tells VOA the declaration is long overdue².

"You know, this is an historic agreement, and this is what all Somali people were expecting to have one day. They are responding actually with great appreciation³, with all Somalis, because it was a deadlock⁴. [This agreement is] what I can actually [call] the icebreaking now," he said.

The current 275-member administration was sworn into office near the end of 2004 following a two-year peace process held in neighboring Kenya.

Initially⁵, members of parliament could not agree on when to return to Somalia from Kenya, citing safety concerns.  Later, the discussion focused on where to relocate.  For many months, the transitional government has been effectively split into two.

Mr. Yusuf and his faction⁶ have set up their offices in a city called Jowhar some 55 miles north of the capital Mogadishu, arguing that Mogadishu is still too unsafe for the location of the government.

Meanwhile, Mr. Adan and more than 100 parliament members have based themselves in Mogadishu, saying that the country's transitional national charter specifies⁷ that that is where the government should be based.

Thursday's agreement says parliament will convene within a month, but did not specify⁸ where that meeting is to take place.

State minister of parliament and government relations Mr. Ibbi says he is confident the issue of where parliament will meet will not be a problem.

"Actually they said the parliament should convene within 30 days in any place that might be agreed upon," he added.  "They are going to give also the consultation⁹ of others."

The Reuters news agency quoted an official as saying the meeting would likely take place in what is described as the "neutral" city of Baidoa.

Since civil war broke out in 1991, militias¹⁰ loyal to clan¹¹ and sub-clan-based factions¹² have controlled parts of the country, with no central authority to provide law and order or basic services to the population.  This is the country's 14th attempt to form such a central authority.

1 convene   

v.集合，召集，召唤，聚集，集合

参考例句：

• The Diet will convene at 3p.m. tomorrow.国会将于明天下午三点钟开会。
• Senior officials convened in October 1991 in London.1991年10月，高级官员在伦敦会齐。

2 overdue   

adj.过期的，到期未付的；早该有的，迟到的

参考例句：

• The plane is overdue and has been delayed by the bad weather.飞机晚点了，被坏天气耽搁了。
• The landlady is angry because the rent is overdue.女房东生气了，因为房租过期未付。

3 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

4 deadlock   

n.僵局，僵持

参考例句：

• The negotiations reached a deadlock after two hours.两小时后，谈判陷入了僵局。
• The employers and strikers are at a deadlock over the wage.雇主和罢工者在工资问题上相持不下。

5 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。

6 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

7 specifies   

v.指定( specify的第三人称单数 )；详述；提出…的条件；使具有特性

参考例句：

• The third clause of the contract specifies steel sashes for the windows. 合同的第三款指定使用钢窗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The contract specifies red tiles, not slates, for the roof. 合同规定屋顶用红瓦，并非石板瓦。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 specify   

vt.指定，详细说明

参考例句：

• We should specify a time and a place for the meeting.我们应指定会议的时间和地点。
• Please specify what you will do.请你详述一下你将做什么。

9 consultation   

n.咨询；商量；商议；会议

参考例句：

• The company has promised wide consultation on its expansion plans.该公司允诺就其扩展计划广泛征求意见。
• The scheme was developed in close consultation with the local community.该计划是在同当地社区密切磋商中逐渐形成的。

10 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

11 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

12 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别