VOA标准英语2008年-Mbeki, Mugabe Meet to Discuss Stalled Zimbabwe

South African President Thabo Mbeki met in Zimbabwe with President Robert Mugabe to discuss the stalled negotiations¹ aimed at ending the country's political crisis. He says the talks are to resume Sunday. VOA's Delia Robertson reports from our southern Africa bureau in Johannesburg.

Following his meeting with Mr. Mugabe, the South African president repeated his earlier assurances that negotiations between Zimbabwe's political parties are going well. On Tuesday he said the talks were merely adjourned².

"They will be adjourning³ shortly for a couple of days because they want to go back Harare to go and consult with their principals about the work that has been, and then come back by the end of the week to resume the negotiations," President Mbeki said. "But they are proceeding⁴."

President Mbeki is evidently more concerned about progress in the talks than he concedes in public. Before flying to Harare, he met in Pretoria with the MDC's Morgan Tsvangirai.

The talks stalled earlier this week after Mr. Mugabe's ZANU-PF negotiating team offered Tsvangirai a vice⁵ presidency⁶ in a proposed government of national unity⁷. It was rejected by the MDC leader. Mr. Mugabe already has two vice presidents who are merely figureheads without any executive authority.

Speaking earlier at a monetary⁸ policy meeting in Harare, the Zimbabwean leader said he is committed to achieving a negotiated outcome to the country's crisis.

"We committed ourselves to a process of dialogue under the facilitation of President [of South Africa, Thabo] Mbeki, whom I expect today anyway," he said. "There is total commitment on the part of government and ZANU-PF and I hope there is similar total, there is similar commitment on the part of the other parties."

But analysts⁹ have warned that Mr.Mugabe is determined¹⁰ to hang on to executive power.

Tsvangirai believes that he should head a transitional unity government because he got most of the votes in the preliminary presidential race in May. His majority in that poll was not enough to avoid a runoff.

Experts have warned that in addition to convincing Mr. Mugabe of the need for compromise, Mr. Mbeki will have to find a way of drawing in the security forces, particularly the Joint¹¹ Operations Command, widely believe to be the real power in Zimbabwe. The Joint Operations Command is run by a senior party official, the various military commanders, the chiefs of police and prisons, and the country's senior intelligence official.

 

 

1 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。

2 adjourned   

（使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The court adjourned for lunch. 午餐时间法庭休庭。
• The trial was adjourned following the presentation of new evidence to the court. 新证据呈到庭上后，审讯就宣告暂停。

3 adjourning   

（使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Before adjourning, councillors must stop procrastinating and revisit this controversial issue. 在休会之前，参议员必须停止拖延，重新讨论这个引起争议的问题。
• They decided upon adjourning the session. 他们决定休会。

4 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

5 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

6 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

7 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。

8 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

9 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。

10 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

11 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。