2007年VOA标准英语-UN Security Council Goes on Kosovo Fact-Finding

By Peter Heinlein
New York
24 April 2007

United Nations Security Council debates at UN headquarters, 17 Apr 2007

U.N. Security Council ambassadors are going on a fact-finding mission to the Balkans this week as they consider the future status of Kosovo. VOA's Peter Heinlein at U.N. headquarters reports the mission will meet officials in the provincial¹ capital, Pristina, as well as in Belgrade.

The 15-member Security Council delegation² will stop first in Vienna and Brussels, then on to the region. The mission leader, Belgium's U.N. Ambassador Johan Verbeke, says the six-day trip will include talks with Serbia's leaders, as well as with the heads of Kosovo's Provisional government and leaders of the Kosovo's ethnic³ minority community.

"[We will see] how the situation is over there, that is to be fully⁴ briefed, well informed so that we can indeed live up to the high expectations that reside in the Security Council, and that we can act responsibly on what is obviously a delicate matter," he said.

On the eve of the trip, Council members received a briefing on conditions in Kosovo from U.N. Peacekeeping Operations chief Jean Marie-Guehenno. He says he told them they face tough decisions about the progress made since the U.N mission in Kosovo known as UNMIK began running the region in 1999.

"It will allow them to see with their own eyes what the situation is, with all its difficulties. I did not paint a rosy⁵ picture of Kosovo; and at the same time I described honestly the progress as it is, in various areas so it's all shades of gray," said Marie-Guehenno.

The United States has endorsed⁶ recommendations made by U.N. envoy⁷ and former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari to grant independence to the ethnic Albanian majority Serbian province in a phased process.

The new U.S. ambassador to the world body Zalmay Khalilzad is making the trip to the Balkans in his first week on the job. He called his presence a sign of the importance Washington attaches to the issue.

"It's very important, Balkans is another region of world that has been the source of a lot of insecurity, and sometimes leaving problems festering for a long time, unattended can lead to bigger problems, and it's very important to bring this issue of Kosovo to a successful conclusion," he said. "And I look forward to the trip."

"The message is that the time has come to bring this to closure," replied Khalilzad when asked "What's the message going to be to the people in Kosovo?"

Russia strongly opposes the Ahtisaari independence plan. Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying Moscow will not accept the Ahitisaari proposal because of Serbian opposition⁸.

Russia asked for the Security Council visit to the region, and Moscow's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin is a member of the delegation. On the eve of his departure, Ambassador Churkin expressed concern about the safety and security of minority populations in an overwhelmingly ethnic Albanian region.

"Two most graphic⁹ elements of the situation that we need to keep in mind when we deliberate is that very few Serb refugees have returned to Kosovo after the events of 1999, and there are no normal conditions for the life of ethnic minorities," he said.

The delegation is expected back in New York by Monday, and will prepare a report on its findings.

In his report to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, special envoy Ahtisaari said Kosovo could become politically stable and economically viable¹⁰ only if it were independent. Ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs and other minorities in the province by a nine-to-one margin¹¹.

1 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

2 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

3 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 rosy   

adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的

参考例句：

• She got a new job and her life looks rosy.她找到一份新工作，生活看上去很美好。
• She always takes a rosy view of life.她总是对生活持乐观态度。

6 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

9 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

10 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

11 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。