2006年VOA标准英语-Eritrea President Strives for Self-Suffici

By Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi
27 April 2006

Eritrea's presidential spokesman says his country is pursuing a long-term food security strategy that largely shuns¹ foreign food aid as a way of making the country self-sufficient. His comments follow a meeting between President Isaias Afwerki and a United Nations special humanitarian² envoy³ touring the drought-stricken region.

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A drying corn stalk in one of many farms in Adinefas in southern Eritrea
  
  

Spokesman Yemane Gebremeskel tells VOA that discussions between President Isaias and Kjell Magne Bondevik, the United Nations' special envoy for the Horn of Africa, included Eritrea's views on foreign food aid.

"While international efforts can be funded addressing current shortages, if this is not related to longer-term strategy, if it's not going to enhance the government's efforts to attain⁴ sustainable food security, then it would only create a culture of dependency," he said.  "I think there was general agreement in broad terms of the linkage⁵, the continuing between interventionist measures to address current problems and [a] long-term strategic approach to attain food security."

Bondevik visited Eritrea Wednesday at the beginning of his five-nation tour to investigate drought and food availability conditions in the Horn of Africa.

The Eritrean government has come under fire from the international aid community, which says that up to 100,000 tons of food aid is rotting in storage, because of Eritrea's decision last year to stop free food distributions for most recipients⁶.

The French news agency AFP quoted Bondevik as saying that President Isaias had told him that the food aid had been "integrated" into the country's food security program.

In a statement, Bondevik said the president also indicated his willingness to renew dialogue with the international donor⁷ community.

Last month, at least three aid agencies received letters from the Eritrean government directing the agencies to terminate their work in the country.

Yemane says international aid agencies need to fit into the government's long-term food security plan, which he describes to VOA.

"It has basically to do with mobilizing domestic resources primarily but also international assistance to look at water conservation strategies, improving the agricultural or the farming methods, trying to modernize⁸ traditional agricultural farming techniques," he added.

Eritrea is suffering from a regional drought and serious food shortages.  According to the regional body Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, two-thirds of Eritrea's 3.6 million people are food insecure.

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan appointed Bondevik as special humanitarian envoy in February in response to the recurring⁹ drought and food insecurity that has hit 11 million people in the region.

1 shuns   

v.避开，回避，避免( shun的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• We must not reproach her, or she shuns us. 我们可不要责备她，否则她要躲避我们。 来自辞典例句
• Any of them shuns, impedes, or attempts at inspection. 一规避、妨碍或拒绝检查。 来自互联网

2 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。

3 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。

4 attain   

vt.达到，获得，完成

参考例句：

• I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
• His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。

5 linkage   

n.连接；环节

参考例句：

• In their monographic treatment of linkage,they have emphasized this especially.他们在论连锁的专题文章中特别强调了这点。
• Occasionally,problems with block inheritance or linkage are encountered.有时会遇到区段遗传或连锁问题。

6 recipients   

adj.接受的；受领的；容纳的；愿意接受的n.收件人；接受者；受领者；接受器

参考例句：

• The recipients of the prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者的姓名登在报上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The recipients of prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者名单登在报上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

8 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。

9 recurring   

adj.往复的，再次发生的

参考例句：

• This kind of problem is recurring often. 这类问题经常发生。
• For our own country, it has been a time for recurring trial. 就我们国家而言，它经过了一个反复考验的时期。