2007年VOA标准英语-US Backs Arab-African Force for Somalia Peaceke

By Nick Wadhams
Nairobi
20 September 2007

Two senior U.S. officials in East Africa say the situation in Somalia is improving despite continued violence. They have pledged American support for a joint¹ Arab-African peacekeeping force for the shattered country. Nick Wadhams has the story from our Nairobi bureau.

Speaking to reporters at the U.S. Embassy in the Kenyan capital, U.S. Ambassador Michael Rannenberger and the special U.S. envoy² for Somalia, John Yates, said American counter-terrorism efforts in the Horn of Africa have "severely³ disrupted" al-Qaida in the region.

Rannenberger said that a meeting of the Somali National Reconciliation⁴ Congress that ended last month came up with several important ideas on security, elections and drafting a new constitution. He said the United States is willing to help fund future meetings in the reconciliation process.

"We do think that the results of the Somali National Reconciliation Congress were very positive," said Rannenberger. "They came out with a number of specific recommendations that now need to be implemented⁵, which do provide, in our judgment⁶, a basis for moving forward and sustaining momentum⁷ on national reconciliation. Let me be very, very clear, the national reconciliation process is not over but this is a milestone⁸ in that process."

The reconciliation process has been derided⁹ as a failure by opponents of Somalia's transitional government and members of the Islamic Courts Union, which was driven from much of the country by Ethiopian troops early this year.

A group led by former Islamic Courts chief Sheikh Sharif Ahmed has been meeting in the Eritrean capital, Asmara. That group has promised a new war in Somalia if necessary.

Rannenberger and Yates dismissed the group, calling it isolated¹⁰.

"It would be wrong to see the situation in Somalia as something that's proceeding¹¹ in a downward spiral," said Rannenberger. "If anything, it's the opposite. We now have more momentum on national reconciliation, and that ultimately will constrain¹² some of the violence. And the Ethiopians have in our view been a force that has helped to contribute to that security, they are part of the solution rather than part of the problem."

In a bid to restore stability, Somalia's president, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, has put forward a proposal for a joint Arab-African force. Yates and Rannenberger voiced support for the idea.

Yates said the deployment¹³ of a separate African Union force is taking place too slowly, though he said a contingent¹⁴ from Burundi would arrive in October.

The Ethiopians and the transitional government have struggled to maintain control of the capital, Mogadishu, and elsewhere. Bombings and shootings are a daily occurrence, and Mogadishu is far too dangerous for outsiders without heavy security.

The United Nations says some 340,000 people have fled Mogadishu since February, and numerous non-governmental organizations have reported severe malnutrition¹⁵ among the refugees.

In other news, Rannenberger and Yates said they are trying to verify reports that a man suspected in bombing attacks in Kenya in 2002, Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, was shot and killed in Somalia this week.

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 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。

3 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

4 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。

5 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

6 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

7 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

8 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

9 derided   

v.取笑，嘲笑( deride的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His views were derided as old-fashioned. 他的观点被当作旧思想受到嘲弄。
• Gazing up to the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity. 我抬头疑视着黑暗，感到自己是一个被虚荣心驱使和拨弄的可怜虫。 来自辞典例句

10 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

11 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

12 constrain   

vt.限制，约束；克制，抑制

参考例句：

• She tried to constrain herself from a cough in class.上课时她竭力忍住不咳嗽。
• The study will examine the factors which constrain local economic growth.这项研究将考查抑制当地经济发展的因素。

13 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

14 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

15 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。