VOA常速英语2008年-Bush Steps Up Support to End Kenya Crisis

By Paula Wolfson
Washington
14 February 2008

President Bush is stepping up U.S. support for efforts to end the political crisis in Kenya. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports he is sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Nairobi during his upcoming trip to Africa.

President Bush says Rice will deliver a message directly to Kenya's leaders and people.

"There must be an immediate¹ halt to violence," he said. "There must be justice for the victims of abuse, and there must be a full return to democracy."

He says the United States backs efforts by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to end the crisis in Kenya that began with disputed national elections late last year.

Mr. Bush says elsewhere on the continent, conflict mediation², largely led by Africans, has yielded results. He says one prime example is Liberia, which is recovering from a long civil war.

Liberia is one of the countries on his itinerary³, along with Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ghana. He says overall, Africa is in the midst of great change and is now a place of potential.

"It is a place where democracy is advancing, where economies are growing and leaders are meeting challenges with purpose and determination," Bush said.

He says America's commitment to help is strong. In a speech at Washington's Museum of African Art, he said he will use the upcoming trip to highlight efforts to fight dangerous diseases and spur development.

The president said Africa's greatest resource is its people, and he mourned the lives lost to AIDS and malaria⁴. He urged the U.S. Congress to approve his request for a major increase in funding to fight AIDS in Africa, and he said a U.S. initiative to combat malaria launched in 2006 is already making a difference.

"According to new data, malaria rates are dropping dramatically in many parts of Africa,' he added. "We are still on this path and extraordinary achievement is within reach. Africa can turn a disease that has taken its children for centuries, into a thing of the past."

Mr. Bush will visit hospitals and clinics during his visit to Africa. He will also tour job training centers and small businesses to call attention to the importance of foreign investment.

"When you invest capital, you create jobs. Paternalism has got to be a thing of the past," he continued. "Joint venturing with good capable people is what the future is all about."

Next Tuesday, while in Kigali, the president will sign a bilateral⁵ investment treaty with Rwanda. It will be America's first such treaty with a sub-Saharan nation in nearly a decade.

1 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

2 mediation   

n.调解

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
• The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。

3 itinerary   

n.行程表，旅行路线；旅行计划

参考例句：

• The two sides have agreed on the itinerary of the visit.双方商定了访问日程。
• The next place on our itinerary was Silistra.我们行程的下一站是锡利斯特拉。

4 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

5 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。