2007年VOA标准英语-Lebanese Leader Vows to 'Uproot' Terrorists fro

By Challiss McDonough
Cairo
24 May 2007

Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora vowed¹ in an address to the nation on Thursday his government would crush the Islamic militants² who are battling the army in a Palestinian refugee camp. The U.N. says half the camp's residents have fled, but despite a two-day ceasefire, there are still concerns that the violence could start up again. VOA Correspondent Challiss McDonough has more from our Middle East bureau in Cairo.

As a shaky ceasefire appeared to be largely holding for a second day, Prime Minister Siniora vowed to defeat the Fatah al-Islam militants barricaded³ inside the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp. He said Lebanon "will not surrender to the terrorists."

"We will work to root out and finish off terrorism. But we will also work harder than ever to embrace and protect our brothers in the camps," he said.

The prime minister took pains to reassure⁴ Palestinian civilians⁵ that the army is not targeting them.

The Lebanese army has been criticized for using artillery⁶ in such a heavily populated area. Roughly 30,000 people live in Nahr al-Bared, which is near the northern port city of Tripoli. Palestinians living in other refugee camps in Lebanon have burned car tires and protested in the streets against the shelling of Nahr al-Bared, raising fears that the unrest could spread.

Human Rights Watch researcher Nadim Houry says his organization is not challenging the government and the army's goal of defeating Fatah al-Islam, only their means of achieving it.

"Now the prime minister today but also other politicians have always said the army is taking all precautions to protect Palestinian civilians," said Houry. "But what we see in practice is that these precautions are clearly not sufficient. And our main concern, again, is the type of weaponry being used. And as long as there is shelling of the camp by tanks or by artillery, we will not be satisfied that these civilians are going to be protected."

Palestinians flee from Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in Tripoli, 23 May 2007

The U.N. says about half of the civilians living in the camp have left to take shelter elsewhere, but more than 15,000 people remain in Nahr al-Bared.

Houry says Human Rights Watch and relief agencies remain concerned about the humanitarian⁷ conditions inside the camp, where there is still no electricity and very limited water supplies, and about the possibility that fighting could erupt again.

The Lebanese army has been reinforcing its positions outside the camp, and Fatah al-Islam militants inside have been hunkering down and vowing⁸ not to surrender. Reports from Nahr al-Bared indicate that the group is well supplied and claims to be ready for a long siege.

Elsewhere in Lebanon, a bomb exploded Wednesday night in the mainly Druze village of Aley, a popular getaway spot in the mountains near Beirut. It was the third bombing since Sunday in the Beirut area.

The new foreign minister of France, Bernard Kouchner, arrived in Beirut for a dual-purpose visit. The French foreign ministry⁹ said he wants to show solidarity¹⁰ with Lebanon at "this critical time," and he was also holding talks with the rival Lebanese political factions¹¹ in a bid to end the deadlock¹² that has all but paralyzed the government for the past six months.

Several cabinet ministers have linked the fighting in Tripoli to efforts to derail a proposed international court to try suspects in the 2002 car bomb killing¹³ of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 22 others.

1 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

2 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

3 barricaded   

设路障于，以障碍物阻塞( barricade的过去式和过去分词 )； 设路障[防御工事]保卫或固守

参考例句：

• The police barricaded the entrance. 警方在入口处设置了路障。
• The doors had been barricaded. 门都被堵住了。

4 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

5 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。

6 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

7 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。

8 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。

9 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

10 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

11 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

12 deadlock   

n.僵局，僵持

参考例句：

• The negotiations reached a deadlock after two hours.两小时后，谈判陷入了僵局。
• The employers and strikers are at a deadlock over the wage.雇主和罢工者在工资问题上相持不下。

13 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。