VOA标准英语 European Envoys Fail to Win Sri Lankan Cease-Fire

The top envoys² of two of the United Nations Security Council permanent members are the latest diplomats³ to apply pressure on Sri Lanka, amid fears of a humanitarian⁴ crisis as a 25-year civil war on the island appears near its end. The British and French foreign ministers met Wednesday with Sri Lanka's leaders and visited displacement⁵ camps in the north. The diplomats failed to secure an immediate⁶ truce⁷ and only partly succeeded in gaining a government pledge to give international humanitarian workers improved access to refugee Tamils.

Sri Lanka is again rebuffing diplomatic calls for an immediate halt to its final assault against Tamil rebels, on a sliver⁸ of northeastern coastline.

The government contends a pause to military action would only benefit the remaining several hundred hold-outs from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and their leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, whose whereabouts are unknown.
　
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, left, and British Foreign Affairs Secretary David Miliband, 29 Apr 2009

Speaking to reporters in Colombo, British Foreign Affairs Secretary David Miliband calls that a mischaracterization of the international calls for a cease-fire.

"The calls have come because of an overwhelming concern with the needs of civilians⁹ and the need for long-term peace in Sri Lanka," said Miliband. "Protection of civilians is absolutely paramount¹⁰ in our minds at this moment."

Tens of thousands of Tamil civilians are believed trapped in the small jungle war zone. The military says its final assault has become the world's largest hostage rescue mission. It denies reports it is continuing to shell the area, despite a government pledge to stop using all heavy weaponry.

Several hundred thousand Tamils have been displaced by fighting in recent months. Most are in camps which aid workers describe as over-crowded and lacking sufficient food and medicine.
　
Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagamaspeaking to reporters in Colombo, 29 Apr 2009

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner says he and Miliband told their Sri Lankan counterpart the world is standing¹¹ by to help people traumatized by the war.

"Leave free the access - access for UN people, access for ICRC [Red Cross], access for NGO's [non-governmental organizations] and access for the medical teams," said Kouchner.

The French envoy¹ says Sri Lanka has accepted this request, apart from access to the combat zone.

The Swedish foreign minister, considered an expert on the situation here, was not invited by Colombo to join his British and French counterparts, as initially¹² expected.

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama says Carl Bildt can visit at another time.

"I look for my invitation to be responded [to] as early as next week by the Swedish foreign minister who we value very much of his presence to Sri Lanka," he said.

The unexplained snub has upset relations between Sri Lanka and Sweden. Sweden takes over the rotating European Union presidency¹³ in one month.

Officials here have repeatedly accused the United Nations, aid organizations, some countries and international journalists of favoring or colluding with the rebels.

1 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。

2 envoys   

使节( envoy的名词复数 )； 公使； 谈判代表； 使节身份

参考例句：

• the routine tit for tat when countries expel each other's envoys 国家相互驱逐对方使节这种惯常的报复行动
• Marco Polo's travelogue mentions that Kublai Khan sent envoys to Malgache. 马可波罗游记中提到忽必烈曾派使节到马尔加什。

3 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 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。

5 displacement   

n.移置，取代，位移，排水量

参考例句：

• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
• The displacement of all my energy into caring for the baby.我所有精力都放在了照顾宝宝上。

6 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

7 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

8 sliver   

n.裂片，细片，梳毛；v.纵切，切成长片，剖开

参考例句：

• There was only one sliver of light in the darkness.黑暗中只有一点零星的光亮。
• Then,one night,Monica saw a thin sliver of the moon reappear.之后的一天晚上，莫尼卡看到了一个月牙。

9 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

10 paramount   

a.最重要的，最高权力的

参考例句：

• My paramount object is to save the Union and destroy slavery.我的最高目标是拯救美国，摧毁奴隶制度。
• Nitrogen is of paramount importance to life on earth.氮对地球上的生命至关重要。

11 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

12 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

13 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。