2006年VOA标准英语-US 'Deeply Concerned' by Reports of Taylor

By David Gollust
Washington
28 March 2006

Nigerian policemen, seated lower right, guard the mansion¹ of former Liberian president Charles Taylor in Calabar, Nigeria, March, 28, 2006  
  
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the reported disappearance² of former Liberian President Charles Taylor from his Nigerian place of exile is a matter of utmost seriousness. The development spurred calls in Congress for President Bush to cancel his planned meeting Wednesday with Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.

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The issue of Charles Taylor, seemingly on its way to resolution only a few days ago, has moved back to the top of the U.S.-Nigeria agenda on the eve of President Obasanjo's White House visit.

 
Charles Taylor (file photo)
  
Nigerian officials said Tuesday that Taylor, wanted for war crimes in Sierra Leone, had disappeared from his place of exile only two days after Nigeria had said Liberia was free to take him into custody³.

The Bush administration, which has made the Taylor case a policy priority, expressed deep concern about the turn of events and said it is pressing Nigerian authorities for an explanation.

Questioned about Taylor at a Senate Appropriations⁴ subcommittee hearing, Secretary of State Rice said she could not confirm what had happened to Taylor, but said if he had escaped the custody of the Nigerians it would be a matter of the utmost seriousness with potential damage to bilateral⁵ relations:

Condoleezza Rice  
  
"There was an understanding that he would be monitored and that he would be at some point - President Obasanjo said when there was a Liberian government - turned over for prosecution⁶ by the court. And we were on course for that. If we are no longer on course for that, then we will have to examine why this happened, and have consequences accordingly," said Ms. Rice.

Taylor went into exile in Nigeria in August of 2003 as part of an internationally supported deal to end the long-running civil conflict in Liberia. Only a few months earlier, the U.N.-backed special court for Sierra Leone had indicted⁷ him for crimes against humanity for supporting a brutal⁸ insurgency⁹ in the neighboring country.

At the subcommittee hearing, Senate Democrat¹⁰ Patrick Leahy faulted President Obasanjo for the reported escape and said President Bush should scrap¹¹ plans to meet with him:

 
Olusegun Obasanjo
  
"President Obasanjo has for years thwarted¹² attempts to get Taylor to a court," said Mr. Leahy.  "I believe he bears responsibility for letting him escape. I understand he plans to meet with President Bush at the White House tomorrow. I would urge you to cancel that visit until Taylor is in the custody of the court where he belongs."

The Secretary did not respond to the suggestion that the White House cancel the Obasanjo visit, an idea advanced by at least one other member of Congress, House Republican Ed Royce of California.

Royce called the announcement that Taylor had disappeared a nightmare scenario¹³ for which the Nigerians must be held accountable.

Secretary Rice said she agreed with Senator Leahy that Taylor, if he was at large, would be a threat to the security of West Africa.

A senior diplomat¹⁴ who spoke¹⁵ to reporters here said at Wednesday's meeting, President Bush and top aides including Secretary Rice would press President Obasanjo and his national security adviser¹⁶ for information on the Taylor case.

1 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

2 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

3 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

4 appropriations   

n.挪用（appropriation的复数形式）

参考例句：

• More commonly, funding controls are imposed in the annual appropriations process. 更普遍的作法是，拨款控制被规定在年度拨款手续中。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Should the president veto the appropriations bill, it goes back to Congress. 假如总统否决了这项拨款提案，就把它退还给国会。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

5 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

6 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

7 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

8 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

9 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

10 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

11 scrap   

n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废

参考例句：

• A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
• Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。

12 thwarted   

阻挠( thwart的过去式和过去分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过

参考例句：

• The guards thwarted his attempt to escape from prison. 警卫阻扰了他越狱的企图。
• Our plans for a picnic were thwarted by the rain. 我们的野餐计划因雨受挫。

13 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

14 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

15 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。

16 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。