VOA常速英语2007-Bhutto Optimistic About Power-Sharing With Musha

By Daniel Schearf
Islamabad
04 October 2007

Former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto has said she is optimistic she will reach a power-sharing deal with President General Pervez Musharraf, a sharp turnaround from Wednesday when she said talks were "totally stalled." The two sides have been negotiating for months. Daniel Schearf reports from Islamabad.

Ms. Bhutto says she and General Musharraf are close to a long-awaited power-sharing deal, but she is still waiting for a final agreement in writing.

She said the step forward in just one day was due to intense discussions between the two sides.

"There have been a lot of last-minute discussions on key issues. And, as a consequence of these discussions we are expecting, we are optimistic today, but I cannot say that everything is finalized¹ because we are still waiting to see in documentary form what is a verbal understanding between the two sides," she said.

Ms. Bhutto spoke² to journalists in London where she has spent some of her eight years in exile to avoid corruption³ charges stemming from her time as prime minister. The comments were broadcast live on television in Pakistan.

Ms. Bhutto said the verbal understanding would likely include her demands for a blanket amnesty for former officials accused, but not convicted, of corruption, and an extension on term limits for prime minister from two to three terms.

Those requirements are key for Ms. Bhutto as she plans to return to Pakistan on October 18 and wishes to run for a third term as prime minister.

But she said the government is still resisting her demand General Musharraf give up the presidential power to dismiss the government. That power could be used against her if the deal for power-sharing goes through and she were to be re-elected prime minister.

"The balance of power between the presidency⁴ and parliament has not been resolved. We still have differences of opinion on the military introduced law for the president to remove all parliament," she said.

If her demands are met, Ms. Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party is to offer much-needed support to General Musharraf's presidency for another five years.

General Musharraf came to power in a 1999 military coup⁵ and has lost much public support since a failed attempt to fire the chief justice. He is under pressure to restore civilian⁶ rule and has promised to give up his post as chief of the army, but not until he wins re-election as president on Saturday as expected.

More than 160 Pakistani legislators have resigned in protest at General Musharraf's bid for re-election while in uniform.

Ms. Bhutto said the Pakistan People's Party would not resign from Parliament. She said the party would instead decide later either to not vote in the election or to vote for their own candidate and vice⁷ chairman of the party, Makhdoom Amin Faheem.

1 finalized   

vt.完成（finalize的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The draft of this article has been finalized [done]. 这篇文章已经定稿。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The draft was revised several times before it was finalized. 稿子几经删改才定下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 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。

3 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

4 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

5 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。

6 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

7 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。