VOA常速英语2008年-Kenya Political Negotiations Resume

By Derek Kilner
Nairobi
19 February 2008

Negotiations² aimed at ending a political deadlock³ in Kenya have resumed after a four-day pause.  While both the government and opposition⁴ continue to express optimism that the talks will succeed, there has as yet been little indication of a political compromise acceptable to both sides.  Derek Kilner reports from Nairobi.

The issue of power-sharing is at the center of the current discussions.  The negotiating teams agreed on Tuesday to form a committee to explore possible coalition⁵ arrangements.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga, who claims the government rigged December's presidential election, has called for the creation of an office of Prime Minister, along with a 50-50 power-sharing government that would revise Kenya's constitution and organize new elections within two years.

But while the government has said it will allow some opposition representation in the cabinet, it is unenthusiastic about the level of power-sharing proposed by Odinga and his Orange Democratic Movement.  Information Minister Samuel Poghosio says creating the post of prime minister would be unconstitutional.

"That is the position packaged by the opposition side," Poghosio said. "That would be the shopping list that ODM has. It has to be processed by the other side. And the other side has said whatever you do should be done within our constitution. And our constitution unfortunately did not foresee the office of prime minister. The assumption was that a problem would be solved only by power-sharing. And that's not the only way to solve the problem."

Odinga's team argues that the constitution should be amended⁶ to allow such changes.

A top member of the Orange Democratic Movement, Charity Ngilu, says the negotiations, mediated⁷ by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, have been hampered⁸ by a failure to acknowledge the urgency of the crisis by President Mwai Kibaki's Party of National Unity⁹, or PNU.

"Our team who are sitting in the Kofi Annan mediation¹⁰ are saying that it's progressing well," Ngilu said. "Only they're saying that the PNU do not seem to have understood the magnitude of the problem."

Mr. Annan met with President Kibaki on Tuesday to discuss the negotiations, following a similar meeting between Mr. Annan and Odinga on Monday.

Also on Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, on a one-day visit to Kenya, urged the two sides to reach a power-sharing agreement, prompting Kenyan government officials, including the foreign minister, to stress that political solutions should not be imposed from outside.

So far, the two sides have agreed to review the constitution and to take steps to address the humanitarian¹¹ crisis in the country.  Political violence, much of it along ethnic¹² lines, has killed an estimated 1,000 people and driven some 600,000 from their homes since the election.

Many fear renewed unrest if the Annan-led negotiation¹ fail to secure an agreement.

1 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

2 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

3 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。

4 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。

5 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。

6 Amended   

adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
• He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

7 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。

8 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

9 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

10 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。

11 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。

12 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。