2006年VOA标准英语-South African President Ends Ivory Coast Mediat

By Scott Bobb
Johannesburg
18 October 2006

South African President Thabo Mbeki says he has relinquished¹ his role as mediator² in the Ivory Coast political crisis. The announcement came at a meeting of top African Union officials in Ethiopia.

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		Thabo Mbeki (July 2006)

South African President Thabo Mbeki says he is ending his mediation³ of the Ivorian confrontation⁴ because of his country's appointment this week as a member of the U.N. Security Council.

He said, "This would create a problem if we continued as mediator because what it would mean is that when the matter comes up before the Security Council we would have to say we take our mandate⁵ from the African Union. So, if we take our mandate from the African Union it means we cannot discharge our responsibilities as members of the Security Council."

The African Union confirmed the announcement  Tuesday at a meeting during which it again extended the mandates⁶ of Ivory Coast's embattled leaders, President Laurent Gbagbo and Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny. It is the second time the Ivorian president's term has been extended for one year.

The United Nations announced Saturday that Ivorian elections scheduled for the end of this month would be postponed⁷ for another year. It said this was to allow for voter registration⁸ and consolidation⁹ of the various armed groups in the country. The announcement caused violent demonstrations¹⁰ in Abidjan.

Ivory Coast, also known as Cote d'Ivoire, has been divided since a failed coup¹¹ four years ago. Rebels control the northern half of the country while the Gbagbo government controls the south.

An analyst¹² with Johannesburg's Center for Policy Studies, Francis Kornegay, notes that Ivorian reconciliation¹³ efforts have been stalled for some time and President Mbeki's efforts have come under increasing criticism from various parties.

"This is sort of a strategic retreat out of that [mediation efforts] into dealing¹⁴ with it from a more manageable vantage point, which is at the level of the U.N."

He says the Ivorian confrontation is complicated by disagreements among the various parties.

"The Cote d'Ivoire situation has been a quagmire¹⁵ for several years now and there are all kinds of dynamics¹⁶ between and within these various camps."

He adds that West African regional politics have further complicated the process. The regional bloc¹⁷ ECOWAS has been overseeing the mediation efforts.

The chairman of the African Union, Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso, is to take over the mediation responsibilities until the end of the year.

African Union officials say the latest plan is to be presented to the U.N. Security Council next week.

1 relinquished   

交出，让给( relinquish的过去式和过去分词 )； 放弃

参考例句：

• She has relinquished the post to her cousin, Sir Edward. 她把职位让给了表弟爱德华爵士。
• The small dog relinquished his bone to the big dog. 小狗把它的骨头让给那只大狗。

2 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。

3 mediation   

n.调解

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
• The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。

4 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

5 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

6 mandates   

托管（mandate的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Individual mandates would require all people to purchase health insurance. 个人托管要求所有人都要购买健康保险。
• While I agree with those benefits, I'm not a supporter of mandates. 我同意上述好处，我不是授权软件的支持者。

7 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

8 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

9 consolidation   

n.合并,巩固

参考例句：

• The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民，对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• The state ensures the consolidation and growth of the state economy. 国家保障国营经济的巩固和发展。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法

10 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

11 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

12 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。

13 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

14 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

15 quagmire   

n.沼地

参考例句：

• On their way was a quagmire which was difficult to get over.路上他俩遇到了—个泥坑,很难过得去。
• Rain had turned the grass into a quagmire.大雨使草地变得一片泥泞。

16 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

17 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。