VOA常速英语2008年-International Pressure Mounts for Kenya Cabinet

By Derek Kilner
Nairobi
09 April 2008

Western diplomats¹ have called for Kenya's leaders to reach agreement on a power-sharing coalition², after negotiations³ broke down Tuesday.  Diplomats say continuing foreign assistance and other cooperation will depend on establishing a government.  For VOA, Derek Kilner has more from Nairobi.

Diplomats from the United States, Britain, the European Union, and Canada have called for President Mwai Kibaki and opposition⁴ leader Raila Odinga to resolve the impasse⁵ over naming ministers in a coalition government as soon as possible. 

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who spoke⁶ Monday with both leaders by phone, issued a statement Tuesday warning that if no deal is reached, the United States will "form its own judgments⁷" about who is responsible and "act accordingly."

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger, echoed this position.

"The whole U.S. relationship with Kenya depends on the implementation⁸ of this political accord.  We think it will be implemented," Ranneberger said. "But if it is not, for whatever reason, then that would affect the whole relationship, and therefore it would have a huge impact on Kenya."

Ambassador Ranneberger said he met Tuesday with President Kibaki and Mr. Odinga and remains⁹ convinced the two will reach an agreement.

European Union diplomats met with members of President Kibaki's Party of National Unity¹⁰, with British High Commissioner¹¹ Adam Wood calling for flexibility¹² on both sides.  EU representatives met Tuesday with members of Raila Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement.

President Kibaki and Mr. Odinga signed a power-sharing deal mediated¹³ by former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan in late February.  The agreement calls for Mr. Odinga to take up the newly created position of prime minister, and for cabinet ministries¹⁴ to be split evenly between the two sides. 

But Ambassador Ranneberger said both sides have been trying to secure the most powerful ministries, such as internal security and foreign affairs.

The Orange Democratic Movement's announcement Tuesday that it is suspending negotiations sparked protests in the Kibera slum of Nairobi and in the western city of Kisumu, both opposition strongholds, raising worries of a return to the unrest that killed about 1,200 people after December's elections.

1 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》

2 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。

3 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。

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 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 judgments   

判断( judgment的名词复数 )； 鉴定； 评价； 审判

参考例句：

• A peculiar austerity marked his judgments of modern life. 他对现代生活的批评带着一种特殊的苛刻。
• He is swift with his judgments. 他判断迅速。

8 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 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。

11 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

12 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

13 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。

14 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。