VOA标准英语2009年-Southern African Ministers Plan Regional Summit

Southern African ministers meeting in South Africa have pledged to help Zimbabwe's reconstruction¹ and plan to hold a special regional summit on the matter soon.

Ministers of the Southern Africa Development Community ended their meeting Friday in Cape³ Town with a promise to help Zimbabwe rebuild its economy, infrastructure⁴ and social services.
　
South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (file photo)

But the meeting's chairperson, South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, cautioned that obtaining funds for the massive undertaking⁵ will take time.

"We are all, in SADC, determined⁶ to help Zimbabwe mobilize resources but I can't guarantee how much will be raised when. The economic environment globally, is difficult so we will do our best," said Dlamini-Zuma.

She said SADC leaders are to hold a special summit on Zimbabwe, hopefully before the G-20 summit in April. The ministers said they would approach bilateral⁷ and multilateral donors⁸ to help finance the effort.

Zimbabwe's new unity² government has proposed a $2 billion package aimed at reviving the economy, which has declined by 40 percent in the past 10 years, and restoring deteriorating⁹ infrastructure and public services.

Experts estimate that at least $5 billion will be needed to finance the reconstruction long-term.

However, they say Zimbabwe may face difficulties in obtaining funds from some donors because it is behind on repaying previous debts to some of them.

An official with the African Development Bank said his organization would not be able to provide any new financing until such arrears¹⁰ were paid up. But an official with the Development Bank of Southern Africa said Zimbabwe was current with his organization and could seek reconstruction money from it.

Other donors, in particular Western governments, have rejected any support other than direct humanitarian¹¹ aid to Zimbabwe because of corruption¹² and human rights abuses under President Robert Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party.
　
Robert Mugabe (file photo)

Mr. Mugabe two weeks ago entered into a power-sharing government with long-standing opposition¹³ leader Morgan Tsvangirai who became prime minister.

But Western governments have indicated no aid would be forthcoming as long as Mr. Mugabe remains¹⁴ in the government.

There are reports of in-fighting between senior officials of ZANU-PF and Mr. Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change, each of which controls about one-half of the Cabinet ministries¹⁵.

South Africa's Dlamini-Zuma said SADC ministers had discussed these reports with the Zimbabwean delegates.

"There will be teething problems but they [the Zimbabweans] assured us that they are all determined to make it work. And they have a mechanism¹⁶ which they are already using to deal with all those issues that may be problematic," she said.
　
Morgan Tsvangirai speaking to reporters in Johannesburg, 15 Jan 2009

Mr. Tsvangirai this week complained that Mr. Mugabe had appointed senior government and diplomatic officials without his consent as required by the power-sharing agreement that created the unity government. Mr. Mugabe rejected the charge saying the appointments were made before the government was created and therefore were legal.

The Zimbabwean prime minister also accused senior officials of blocking the release of some 30 political prisoners, some of whom have been detained for months without access to lawyers or medical care.

SADC officials said the issue was raised during the ministerial meeting and the ministers were told the prisoners would be released on bail¹⁷ but would still face the charges against them.

On Saturday Mr. Mugabe will attend a celebration marking his 85th birthday for which organizers say they have raised one quarter million dollars in donations. Mr. Tsvangirai says he will attend.

1 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

2 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。

3 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

4 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

5 undertaking   

n.保证，许诺，事业

参考例句：

• He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
• He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。

6 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。

7 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

8 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

10 arrears   

n.到期未付之债，拖欠的款项；待做的工作

参考例句：

• The payments on that car loan are in arrears by three months.购车贷款的偿付被拖欠了三个月。
• They are urgent for payment of arrears of wages.他们催讨拖欠的工钱。

11 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。

12 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

13 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。

14 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。

15 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。

16 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

17 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。