VOA标准英语2008年-Zimbabwe Opposition Holds Out for Second Mediat

Morgan Tsvangirai, the founding president of Zimbabwe's opposition¹ Movement for Democratic Change, has put on hold a preliminary agreement that would pave the way for formal talks with President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF. VOA's Delia Robertson reports from our southern Africa bureau in Johannesburg.
　
Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai addresses the media in Harare, 02 Jul 2008

Morgan Tsvangirai is holding out for the appointment of a second mediator² appointed by the African Union to work alongside South African President Thabo Mbeki who is acting³ as mediator during formal negotiations⁴ with Mr. Mugabe's ZANU-PF. Mr. Mbeki was last year mandated⁵ by the Southern African Development Community to mediate⁷ talks between the MDC and ZANU-PF.

An African diplomat⁸ close to the preparatory talks told VOA that Tsvangirai believes that the chairperson of the African Union Commission, Jean Ping, promised to appoint a second mediator. He says Tsvangirai expects this appointment to be announced following a meeting Friday between Ping and Mr. Mbeki in Pretoria.

But the African diplomat tells VOA that the African Union has made no such commitment, that the decision of the AU summit last month to endorse⁹ the mediation¹⁰ of Mr.. Mbeki as mandated by the Southern Africa Development Community, still stands.

The preparatory talks are expected to produce a preliminary agreement which will govern formal negotiations between both factions¹¹ of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change and ZANU-PF.

In addition the agreement is expected to include, at Tsvangirai's request, an interim¹² commitment on the cessation of violence during formal talks. Despite the fact that violent attacks against opposition supporters have decreased, they still occur. Just this week a large funeral was held for an MDC driver who was brutally¹³ tortured before being killed.

When formal talks get under way they are likely to focus on the establishment of a transitional Government of National Unity⁶ and the positions in that government of opposition leaders, including Morgan Tsvangirai.

The MDC holds the view that Tsvangirai should head any transitional government, while President Mugabe wants the MDC to recognize his re-election as president of Zimbabwe in a controversial election last month which was boycotted¹⁴ by the MDC.
　
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe (L) is pictured with South African President, chief regional negotiator Thabo Mbeki (R) and an unidentified member of the dissident MDC delegation¹⁵, 05 Jul 2008

Analysts¹⁷ say that any formal agreements will have to win the support of the security establishment in Zimbabwe, which is widely believed to be the power behind Mr. Mugabe.

Independent analyst¹⁶ Chris Maroleng tells VOA the mediator will have to find a way to reassure¹⁸ this group that they will not be held accountable for their actions by a future transitional government.

"I believe it is the insecurity that is felt by these elements in the state security apparatus¹⁹ that has created a behavior in them which makes them active spoilers when faced with the prospects²⁰ of change. Because they might feel that the cost involved in a transition would result in a loss of status, a loss of access, and indeed possible prosecution²¹ if a transition is to occur," said Maroleng.

It is possible that if, following his meeting with Mr. Mbeki, the African Union's Jean Ping is able to reassure Morgan Tsvangirai that Mr. Mbeki can manage the mediaiton on his own, the signing of the preliminary agreement could take place within days. If so, formal talks may get under way as early as next 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 mediator   

n.调解人，中介人

参考例句：

• He always takes the role of a mediator in any dispute.他总是在争论中充当调停人的角色。
• He will appear in the role of mediator.他将出演调停者。

3 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

4 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。

5 mandated   

adj. 委托统治的

参考例句：

• Mandated desegregation of public schools. 命令解除公立学校中的种族隔离
• Britain was mandated to govern the former colony of German East Africa. 英国受权代管德国在东非的前殖民地。

6 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。

7 mediate   

vi.调解，斡旋；vt.经调解解决；经斡旋促成

参考例句：

• The state must mediate the struggle for water resources.政府必须通过调解来解决对水资源的争夺。
• They may be able to mediate between parties with different interests.他们也许能在不同利益政党之间进行斡旋。

8 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

9 endorse   

vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意

参考例句：

• No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
• I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。

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 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

12 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。

13 brutally   

adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地

参考例句：

• The uprising was brutally put down.起义被残酷地镇压下去了。
• A pro-democracy uprising was brutally suppressed.一场争取民主的起义被残酷镇压了。

14 boycotted   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Athletes from several countries boycotted the Olympic Games. 有好几国的运动员抵制奥林匹克运动会。
• The opposition party earlier boycotted the Diet agenda, demanding Miyaji's resignation. 反对党曾杯葛国会议程，要宫路下台。

15 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。

16 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

17 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

18 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

19 apparatus   

n.装置，器械；器具，设备

参考例句：

• The school's audio apparatus includes films and records.学校的视听设备包括放映机和录音机。
• They had a very refined apparatus.他们有一套非常精良的设备。

20 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

21 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。