2006年VOA标准英语-Rice Says World Can't Afford to Wait in Da

By David Gollust
Washington
13 April 2006
 
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday the world community cannot afford to wait in dealing¹ with the violence in Sudan's western Darfur region, including proceeding² with the planned upgrade on the international peacekeeping presence there.

In comments reflecting growing impatience³ with the pace of Darfur diplomacy⁴, Secretary Rice says the world needs to act without further delay to end the violence in the region, by among other things transforming the African Union observer mission there into a full-scale U.N. peacekeeping force.

The U.N. Security Council has had before it for several months a plan to double the size of the nearly seven thousand member A.U. mission and put it under U.N. command, but the effort has been slowed by political problems including the reluctance⁵ of the Sudanese government to accept new troops.

In a talk with reporters after talks here with the new Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay that included the Darfur issue, Secretary Rice said Sudanese authorities have failed in their obligation to protect the people of Darfur and clearly need international help to do it.

She said the United States has been pressing very hard in the Security Council for action on several Darfur-related issues but most importantly the conversion⁶ of the A.U. mission into a so-called blue hat United Nations peace force. "There needs to be movement on a blue-hatted force. Planning for it. Troop-generation for it. We really can't afford to wait. We are doing what we can to support the current African Union mission. We are prepared to try to do more to support that mission until the blue-hatted force is able to arrive. But everybody recognizes that you need a more robust⁷ force, that's going to come from the U.N. and we are pressing very hard to get that moving," he said.

U.S. officials have said the A.U. force has done a commendable⁸ job since elements first began arriving in Darfur in 2004 but it is incapable⁹ of covering the entire region.

The Bush administration has been seeking increased NATO logistical support for the A.U. mission and the transition to a U.N. force, and Rice said the issue will be on the agenda for NATO foreign ministers when they convene¹⁰ in the Bulgarian capital Sofia for a two-day meeting April 27.

For his part, Foreign Minister MacKay said Canada has been helping¹¹ equip the African Union observers and is prepared to continue its support, though he said he doubted that troops from NATO would be part of the envisaged¹² United Nations force. "I would agree that blue helmets are the solution. But I'm not sure that those are North American or even European soldiers that should be wearing those blue helmets. I think at this point in time, the support is in the area of equipment, possibly training, and the humanitarian¹³ aid, and injection of support that is required in the short term. In the longer term, I don't think that anybody can say for certainty what that U.N. force is going to look like," he said.

Secretary Rice also said the United States is working at all political and diplomatic levels to try to get an agreement in the Darfur peace talks in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, but said that does not obviate¹⁴ the need for an upgraded Darfur peacekeeping presence.

Earlier Thursday, Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick told a Washington policy forum¹⁵ that negotiators in Abuja are trying to get the warring factions¹⁶ in Darfur to reach an agreement by the end of this month, and said he believes it can be done.

Zoellick, the Bush administration's policy chief for Darfur, said at the Brookings Institution event that the most difficult aspect of the talks concerns post-conflict security arrangements, including disarmament of the various factions.

The Darfur conflict erupted in early 2003 when local rebels took up arms against the Khartoum government, which responded by supporting Arab Janjaweed militiamen in a scorched-earth campaign against civilians¹⁷ perceived as rebel supporters.

Darfur Rebels and Sudanese government forces have also been accused of human rights abuses in the conflict, which has led to the deaths of some 200,000 people and displaced another two million.

1 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。

2 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

3 impatience   

n.不耐烦，急躁

参考例句：

• He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢，他显得不耐烦。
• He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。

4 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

5 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

6 conversion   

n.转化，转换，转变

参考例句：

• He underwent quite a conversion.他彻底变了。
• Waste conversion is a part of the production process.废物处理是生产过程的一个组成部分。

7 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

8 commendable   

adj.值得称赞的

参考例句：

• The government's action here is highly commendable.政府这样的行动值得高度赞扬。
• Such carping is not commendable.这样吹毛求疵真不大好。

9 incapable   

adj.无能力的，不能做某事的

参考例句：

• He would be incapable of committing such a cruel deed.他不会做出这么残忍的事。
• Computers are incapable of creative thought.计算机不会创造性地思维。

10 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。

11 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

12 envisaged   

想像，设想( envisage的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He envisaged an old age of loneliness and poverty. 他面对着一个孤独而贫困的晚年。
• Henry Ford envisaged an important future for the motor car. 亨利·福特为汽车设想了一个远大前程。

13 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

14 obviate   

v.除去，排除，避免，预防

参考例句：

• Improved public transportation would obviate the need tor everyone to have their own car.公共交通的改善消除了每人都要有车的必要性。
• This deferral would obviate pressure on the rouble exchange rate.这一延期将消除卢布汇率面临的压力。

15 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

16 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

17 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。