2007年VOA标准英语-Somali Government to Host Reconciliation Congre

By Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi
14 March 2007

Somalia's transitional government has reiterated² its plans to hold a congress to unite striving Somali clans⁴, asking the international community to support the process.  Plans for the congress are being made as insurgents⁵ continue to attack African Union troops and other targets.  Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi.

Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi outlined his government's plans for the National Reconciliation⁶ Congress at a meeting with international donors⁷ in Kenya's capital.

He says the congress, scheduled to open April 16, is designed to unite Somali clans and sub-clans, and that everyone will be represented at the meeting.

 
Ali Mohamed Gedi at a media conference in Nairobi, 13 Feb 2007
"The stakeholders of this congress is from the society.  Traditionally, there are elders, women's organizations, business community, youth and sports.  They can be part of it," he said.

A number of Western officials including U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer had recently urged Somalia's transitional government to hold reconciliation talks with warring clans, sub-clans, moderate Islamic leaders, and others.

They say such reconciliation talks are necessary to stabilize⁸ the country following the ouster of the Islamic Courts Union at the end of last year.  The courts had ruled over much of southern Somalia for the second half of last year.

During her January visit to the region, Frazer had also said she does not want to see what she called warlordism in Somalia, where clan³ and sub-clan-based factional leaders and their militias⁹ control different parts of the country, as has been the case since civil war broke out in 1991.

 
The car of the Deputy Mayor of Mogadishu, Ibrahim Omar Sabiye lies on the road side, 13 Mar¹ 2007
The congress is being held as insurgents wage frequent attacks in the capital against the recently-arrived African Union troops, Ethiopian troops that had backed the Somali government as they fought against the Islamic Courts Union, and others, killing¹⁰ civilians¹¹ in the process.

The latest attack occurred Tuesday, when a mortar¹² bomb aimed at President Abdullahi Yusuf's residence and ensuing gunfire between insurgents and Ethiopian troops reportedly killed at least eight people.  Yusuf had just moved to Villa¹³ Somalia from Baidoa.

Gedi told reporters in Nairobi that his government is trying to cope with insecurity in Mogadishu, and that the capital's residents are getting tired of the violence.

"Obviously, there is community policing in Mogadishu in all its 16 districts," he noted¹⁴.  "The insurgents are trying to throw mortars¹⁵ from somewhere in a mobile team.  So the residents are now against them, are not accepting them to throw mortars or any other weapons from their areas."

Gedi said he thinks the insurgents are being backed by international terrorists, but did not give details.

1 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

2 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

3 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

4 clans   

宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派

参考例句：

• There are many clans in European countries. 欧洲国家有很多党派。
• The women were the great power among the clans [gentes], as everywhere else. 妇女在克兰〈氏族〉里，乃至一般在任何地方，都有很大的势力。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

5 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

6 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。

7 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

9 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

10 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

11 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。

12 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

13 villa   

n.别墅，城郊小屋

参考例句：

• We rented a villa in France for the summer holidays.我们在法国租了一幢别墅消夏。
• We are quartered in a beautiful villa.我们住在一栋漂亮的别墅里。

14 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

15 mortars   

n.迫击炮( mortar的名词复数 )；砂浆；房产；研钵

参考例句：

• They could not move their heavy mortars over the swampy ground. 他们无法把重型迫击炮移过那片沼泽地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Where the hell are his mortars? 他有迫击炮吗？ 来自教父部分