VOA标准英语2009年-Diplomatic Activity Builds to Halt Eastern Cong

Diplomatic activity aimed at ending the violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is intensifying¹. The United Nations mediator² for eastern Congo, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, arrived Thursday in Kinshasa for talks with Congolese officials, while talks between the Congolese government and eastern rebels continued in Kenya.
　

UN Special envoy3 for the Democratic Republic of Congo conflict, Olusegun Obasanjo gives a press briefing in Nairobi, 10 Dec 2008

Mr. Obasanjo is due to go to Rwanda Friday. His trip is aimed at easing tensions that have been severely⁴ strained by clashes in eastern Congo between Congolese forces and several militias⁶.

The defense⁷ ministers of the two countries met last month and signed an agreement under which a Rwandan Hutu militia⁵ in eastern Congo would be disarmed⁸.

Members of the militia, called the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, fled to Congo 14 years ago after participating in the Rwandan genocide of Tutsi's and moderate Hutu's.

The Rwandan government has accused Kinshasa of supporting the militia, which the Congolese government denies.
　

Rebel General Laurent Nkunda (C) walks in the courtyard of a house after speaking with the press in the town of Kitshoumba, 02 Nov 2008

At the same time, Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of supporting rebels loyal to Laurent Nkunda's National Congress for the Defense of the People. Nkunda ended a fragile cease-fire in September accusing Congolese forces and the militia of attacking Congolese Tutsi's.

A Congo analyst⁹ with London's Chatham House, Muzong Kodi, says prospects¹⁰ for a diplomatic solution to the violence are slim until a stronger military presence is established in the region to bolster¹¹ peacekeepers of the U.N. Mission to Congo, MONUC.

"I don't think the hand of the mediator is going to be strong enough without a substantial force on the ground. I don't think MONUC in its present situation is that kind of force that we need," said Kodi.

He says MONUC peacekeepers are too few and too weak to stop the violence.

France and Belgium last month proposed sending several thousand European Union peacekeepers. But Britain and Germany have opposed this saying they wanted other measures taken first.

Direct talks between the Nkundu forces and the Congolese government resumed this week in Nairobi but have been slowed by an apparent split within the rebel group.

Analyst Kodi says the various combatants are manipulating ethnic¹² tensions in order to allow them to continue to exploit the region's considerable natural resources.

"This situation of no-peace, no-war actually allows them to continue to loot the resources of eastern Congo and they have no incentive¹³ whatsoever¹⁴ to stop the conflict," said Kodi.

The latest fighting has displaced one-quarter million people and disrupted humanitarian¹⁵ efforts. It has also sparked fears of renewed civil war such was seen in the late 1990s in which several million Congolese died.

1 intensifying   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的现在分词 )；增辉

参考例句：

• The allies are intensifying their air campaign. 联军部队正加大他们的空战强度。 来自辞典例句
• The rest of the European powers were in a state of intensifying congestion. 其余的欧洲强国则处于越来越拥挤的状态。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史

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 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

4 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

5 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

6 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

8 disarmed   

v.裁军( disarm的过去式和过去分词 )；使息怒

参考例句：

• Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。
• The swordsman disarmed his opponent and ran him through. 剑客缴了对手的械，并对其乱刺一气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 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。

10 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。

11 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

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。

13 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

14 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

15 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。