VOA标准英语2009年-AU Summit Hails New Somali Leader; Calls on ICC

Somalia's newly-elected President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed has been hailed at the opening ceremonies of a summit of African leaders in Addis Ababa. The session was dominated by Libya's leader Moammar Gadhafi, who vowed¹ to push ahead with his idea of a continental² government, a day after it was declared effectively dead.

A Continent Ravaged³ By War
　
Somalia's newly elected president Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed arrives at the UN compound in Addis Ababa for consultations⁴, 01 Feb 2009

The summit's business meeting opened Monday with AU Commission Chairman Jean Ping painting a harsh picture of a continent split by wars, military coups⁶, and on the brink⁷ of a disastrous⁸ recession.

Speaking in French, the continent's top diplomat⁹ warned Africans they are about to feel what he called the 'sweeping¹⁰ blow' of a 'systemic global economic crisis'. And with Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir in the audience, he said the continental body is working to delay the pending¹¹ International Criminal Court warrants charging Mr. Bashir with genocide.

He said efforts are underway to persuade the ICC to place a 12-month moratorium¹² on any move to hand down indictments¹³ against Mr. Bashir. The Sudanese leader sat quietly at the front of the hall.

Chairman Ping also deplored¹⁴ Africa's apparent return to the bad old days of military coups, as evidenced by Guinea and Mauritania, the unsuccessful coup⁵ in Guinea Bissau, and the current unrest in Madagascar.

Progress Made

On the bright side, he pointed¹⁵ to the recent arrest of renegade Congolese General Laurent Nkunda, efforts to achieve peace in places from Burundi and the Comoros, the Central African Republic and countries of the West Africa zone.

Ping also hailed the election three days earlier of Somalia's President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, and asked Africa's newest head of state to stand, as the packed hall erupted in applause.

He said shades of hope are appearing in Somalia with the United Nations Security Council expressing its intention to take over the AU Somalia peacekeeping force, as well as the peace accords signed in Djibouti that led to election of Sheikh Sharif.

The Somali president's presence in the Ethiopian capital was ironic¹⁶, coming two years after Ethiopian troops poured into Somalia to force him and his Islamic Courts Union from power.

Questions Surround Libya's-AU Role
　
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi (L), escorted by bodyguard¹⁷ (R), arrives at the AU meeting in Addis Ababa, 01 Feb 2009

The summit session was marked by contradictions. Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi was sworn in as AU Chairman for the coming year by the outgoing chairman, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete. A day earlier, Mr. Kikwete had pronounced the Libyan leader's concept of a union government a "non-starter.

But in his acceptance speech, delivered in Arabic through an interpreter, the golden-robed Mr. Gaddafi appeared to reject the death sentence imposed on his unity¹⁸ government idea. He said he would consider the idea accepted unless a majority of the heads of states speak out against it. Gadhafi speaks thru an interpreter.

"We want it to be ratified¹⁹, either rejected or accepted, at the next summit. If we don't have a quorum²⁰ for rejection²¹, then this means we have accepted it," he said.

Human rights groups said Mr. Gadhafi's election raiseed questions about the African Union's commitment to democratic principles. Reed Brody of the group Human Rights Watch said this breaks a string of three consecutive²² democratically-elected leaders at the helm of the continental body.

"The question is whether he sets a good example in terms of human rights and democracy. For the African continent. Let's remember that despite Libya's re-engagement with the international community, it's still a country that doesn't have political freedoms," he said.

Outgoing chairman Kikwete interrupted summit business Monday to pay tribute to the new U.S. President Barack Obama. As his last act in the chair, Mr. Kikwete said the African Union attaches great importance to what most people here feel will be a new chapter for U.S. Africa relations during the Obama administration.

 

1 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

2 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

3 ravaged   

毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫

参考例句：

• a country ravaged by civil war 遭受内战重创的国家
• The whole area was ravaged by forest fires. 森林火灾使整个地区荒废了。

4 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

6 coups   

n.意外而成功的行动( coup的名词复数 )；政变；努力办到难办的事

参考例句：

• China has seen many political coups within the ruling class. 中国统治阶级内部发生过很多政变。 来自互联网
• Thailand has had eighteen coups or coup attendance since nineteen thirty-two. 泰国1932年以来有18次政变或参加政变。 来自互联网

7 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

8 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

9 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。

10 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

11 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

12 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

13 indictments   

n.（制度、社会等的）衰败迹象( indictment的名词复数 )；刑事起诉书；公诉书；控告

参考例句：

• A New York jury brought criminal indictments against the founder of the organization. 纽约的一个陪审团对这个组织的创始人提起了多项刑事诉讼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These two indictments are self-evident and require no elaboration. 这两条意义自明，无须多说。 来自互联网

14 deplored   

v.悲叹，痛惜，强烈反对( deplore的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They deplored the price of motor car, textiles, wheat, and oil. 他们悲叹汽车、纺织品、小麦和石油的价格。 来自辞典例句
• Hawthorne feels that all excess is to be deplored. 霍桑觉得一切过分的举动都是可悲的。 来自辞典例句

15 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

16 ironic   

adj.讽刺的，有讽刺意味的，出乎意料的

参考例句：

• That is a summary and ironic end.那是一个具有概括性和讽刺意味的结局。
• People used to call me Mr Popularity at high school,but they were being ironic.人们中学时常把我称作“万人迷先生”，但他们是在挖苦我。

17 bodyguard   

n.护卫，保镖

参考例句：

• She has to have an armed bodyguard wherever she goes.她不管到哪儿都得有带武器的保镖跟从。
• The big guy standing at his side may be his bodyguard.站在他身旁的那个大个子可能是他的保镖。

18 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。

19 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。

20 quorum   

n.法定人数

参考例句：

• The meeting is adjourned since there is no quorum.因为没有法定人数会议休会。
• Three members shall constitute a quorum.三名成员可组成法定人数。

21 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

22 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。