VOA标准英语10月-Ethiopia Rejects Somalia Withdrawal Timetable

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has rejected opposition¹ calls for a timetable for withdrawing his country's troops from Somalia. As VOA's Peter Heinlein reports from Addis Ababa, Mr. Meles indicated there would be no change in Ethiopia's determination to keep troops in Somalia until a credible² international force is ready to replace them.
　

Prime Minister of Ethiopia Meles Zenawi (File Photo)

Speaking in parliament Thursday, the Ethiopian leader expressed impatience³ with the international community's failure to respond adequately to the violence and lawlessness that has enveloped⁴ Somalia for the past 17 years.

He suggested it might soon be time to consider ending Ethiopia's nearly two-year military campaign to prop⁵ up Somalia's weak Transitional Federal Government.

The Ethiopian presence is viewed by many Somalis as an occupation force, prompting a violent backlash from extremist clan-based militias⁶. But, Prime Minister Meles said withdrawal⁷ would be considered only when stability is assured.

"In the following months, the time for us to take a once and final decision is approaching," he said. "The time has come to take a final decision on the issue, in particular when our troops entered Somalia, those of us who felt our intervention⁸ was based on national security interests, then our withdrawal should also be responsible."

The prime minister brushed aside calls by leaders of some opposition factions⁹ for a troop withdrawal timetable.

"However, some have proposed something outside, stating that we should leave Somalia on this specific date, outside our strategic goal, interests," he said. "It would not be correct to state we would leave on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday."

Ethiopia is believed to have more than 10,000 soldiers in Somalia supporting the interim¹⁰ government. The African Union also maintains a peacekeeping force in and around the capital, Mogadishu. But only 3,000 Ugandan and Burundian troops are on the ground, out of an authorized¹¹ eight thousand.

The U.N. Security Council has said it would only consider sending blue-helmeted peacekeepers after security conditions improve.

On another issue, Mr. Meles said he sees no early end to Ethiopia's longstanding boundary dispute with its northern neighbor Eritrea. With tensions high following the withdrawal of U.N. peacekeepers along the frontier, Mr. Meles expressed determination to maintain Ethiopia's troop presence indefinitely.

"If we don't find peace, the situation this is preparing [we are prepared], even for ten years. It will not affect us substantially," he said.

Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a two-year border war from 1998 to 2000 that killed an estimated 70,000 people. Both sides still have tens of thousands of troops massed along the frontier, at some places within eyesight of each other.

U.N. peacekeepers had maintained calm along the frontier for the past seven and a half years, but the Security Council shut down the mission in July, saying the countries had rejected options for a continued presence. The last of the U.N. troops are going home this week.

1 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。

2 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

3 impatience   

n.不耐烦，急躁

参考例句：

• He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢，他显得不耐烦。
• He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。

4 enveloped   

v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was enveloped in a huge white towel. 她裹在一条白色大毛巾里。
• Smoke from the burning house enveloped the whole street. 燃烧着的房子冒出的浓烟笼罩了整条街。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

6 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

7 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

8 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

9 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

10 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

11 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。