VOA标准英语10月-Afghanistan Planning Second Round of Talks with E

Afghanistan's foreign minister says a second round of talks is likely with former top officials of the fundamentalist Taliban. VOA correspondent Steve Herman reports from Kabul that U.S. and NATO officials are giving conditional¹ support to such discussions between the Afghan government and insurgents².

Afghanistan is looking to hold a second round of discussions with former members of the Taliban.
　

Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta (file photo)

During a news conference in Kabul, Rangin Dadfar Spanta, was asked to comment on reports that a continuation of Saudi mediated³ talks held last month will take place soon in Dubai.

The foreign minister says no place or time has been set for further discussions, but the unofficial delegation⁴ that held talks in Saudi Arabia will work out the logistics with the Saudis.

Spanta added that it is the government's responsibility to pursue such talks.

But Kabul and the Taliban have emphasized that such meetings should not be construed⁵ as peace talks.

In recent months, various top military officials and diplomats⁶ have stated that peace cannot be achieved in Afghanistan solely⁷ on the battlefield.

The Afghan government says it is willing to negotiate with the Taliban if they recognize the country's constitution, lay down their weapons and join the political process.
　

Patrick Moon

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Patrick Moon, while visiting Kabul, expressed optimism the insurgents might accept those conditions.

"The Taliban does not pose a strategic threat to the government of Afghanistan," said Moon. "They do not offer a vision or a future for the people of Afghanistan. So it is reasonable to expect that you could have a Taliban which decides that their future lies with what the government is offering."

A movement toward possible peace talks comes at a time when violence in the country has surged to record levels since the Taliban were forcibly driven from power seven years ago.

There are about 70,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, under the command of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or the United States.

The chairman of NATO's Military Committee, at the conclusion of a three-day tour of Afghanistan, said increasing violence is not a surprise.
　

Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola

Italian Navy Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola characterizes the mounting Taliban attacks as a result of the Afghanistan National Army and police working with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force to fill a power vacuum.

"Nothing was happening because the law was not there," he said. "Now that the law - in the form of the ANA [Afghan National Army], the ANP [Afghan National Police], with the support of ISAF - is going there you see the bad guys starting to make violence."

A NATO spokesman in Brussels says it is the alliance's view that it is up to the Kabul government to decide whether it is prudent⁸ to hold talks with the Taliban.

Police in the southern city of Kandahar are blaming Taliban insurgents for the death of one of their officers when a remote-controlled bomb loaded on a donkey exploded. Two other policemen and a civilian⁹ were wounded.

The U.S. military says three soldiers of the American-led coalition¹⁰ force were killed in the western part of the country when a bomb placed by insurgents struck their vehicle.

1 conditional   

adj.条件的，带有条件的

参考例句：

• My agreement is conditional on your help.你肯帮助我才同意。
• There are two forms of most-favored-nation treatment:conditional and unconditional.最惠国待遇有两种形式:有条件的和无条件的。

2 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

3 mediated   

调停，调解，斡旋( mediate的过去式和过去分词 )； 居间促成； 影响…的发生； 使…可能发生

参考例句：

• He mediated in the quarrel between the two boys. 他调解两个孩子之间的争吵。
• The government mediated between the workers and the employers. 政府在工人与雇主间搞调和。

4 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。

5 construed   

v.解释（陈述、行为等）( construe的过去式和过去分词 )；翻译，作句法分析

参考例句：

• He considered how the remark was to be construed. 他考虑这话该如何理解。
• They construed her silence as meaning that she agreed. 他们把她的沉默解释为表示赞同。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

8 prudent   

adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的

参考例句：

• A prudent traveller never disparages his own country.聪明的旅行者从不贬低自己的国家。
• You must school yourself to be modest and prudent.你要学会谦虚谨慎。

9 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

10 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。