VOA标准英语2010年-UN Wants Security Sector Reform Before

The United Nations says there must be reforms to Liberia's young, post-war security sector¹ to guarantee peaceful elections next year.

Liberian police do not carry weapons because principle responsibility for security still rests with United Nations peacekeepers. But Liberian police do control checkpoints, where motorists say they are often made to pay bribes².

Taxi driver Seydu Diallho says it is a costly³ problem.

"Every day they pester⁴ taxi drivers," Diallho said. "Anywhere you park they will say no parking, even if there isn't a 'no parking' sign. Anytime they see you they will stop you and will want money from you."

There is nothing new about police extorting⁵ money from motorists, especially in a country where patrolmen earn about 80 dollars a month. But, in a country still recovering from civil war and years of abuse by both local authorities and rebels, corruption⁶ further undermines public confidence in the rule of law.

Peter Chapman works for the Carter Center in Liberia.

"I think certainly in rural areas there's a mistrust of, the justice sector, but I think that's largely due to the fact that their, I mean their interaction with it is either them or people they know paying bribes, either to magistrates⁷ or to police," Chapman said.

Recognizing those shortfalls, the United Nations is keeping its peacekeeping force at current levels through next year's election. Margrethe Loej is the U.N. special representative for Liberia.

"The population does not trust the rule-of-law sector, and they very often take the law into their own hands, and we are very conscious of the potential of having election-related violence," said Loej.

Loej says international support for security sector reform is crucial to safeguarding a young Liberian democracy.

"I don't think money can buy peace if the political will is not there," Loej added. "But, if the political will is there, money can help achieve peace much quicker. The case in point in Liberia, which was an utterly⁸ destroyed country after the civil war – money is needed to build the institutions that ensure peace."

The United States has already spent more than $250 million helping⁹ to train a new Liberian army. But the 2,200-strong force will not be ready before 2012. So, until then, Liberia's role in its own security is limited to what Human Rights Watch calls a predatory police force and ineffective courts.

Chapman says reforms will take time.

"If you're shooting for the justice system of the UK or France or something, I mean, you know, it took hundreds of years to get there and it's not like you can get there so quickly after conflict," Chapman said.

Frustrations¹⁰ about the pace of justice sometimes mean smaller disputes grow into bigger conflicts. Earlier this year, U.N. peacekeepers moved in to stop unrest between predominantly-Muslim Mandingo and Christian¹¹ residents in northern Lofa County.

Jerome Verdier is the chairman of Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation¹² Commission. He says the government has been slow to deal with the corruption and poverty that led to war.

"If those issues are ignored, if those recommendations are ignored, in the next ten years so to speak, I can see Liberia embroiled¹³ in another conflict, maybe of a dimension more serious than what we have already experienced," Verdier said.

Liberia's new, U.S.-trained army remains¹⁴ the great hope to restoring public confidence in national security services. But the troops are not alone, as human rights groups say there must also be substantial reforms to a justice system that has failed to prosecute¹⁵ members of a transitional government accused of stealing millions of dollars.
 

1 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

2 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

3 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

4 pester   

v.纠缠，强求

参考例句：

• He told her not to pester him with trifles.他对她说不要为小事而烦扰他。
• Don't pester me.I've got something urgent to attend to.你别跟我蘑菇了，我还有急事呢。

5 extorting   

v.敲诈( extort的现在分词 )；曲解

参考例句：

• Corrupt government officials were extorting money from him. 腐败的政府官员向他敲诈钱财。 来自辞典例句
• He's been charged with extorting protection money from the shopkeepers. 他被指控对店主敲诈勒索保护费。 来自互联网

6 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。

7 magistrates   

地方法官，治安官( magistrate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to come up before the magistrates 在地方法院出庭
• He was summoned to appear before the magistrates. 他被传唤在地方法院出庭。

8 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

10 frustrations   

挫折( frustration的名词复数 )； 失败； 挫败； 失意

参考例句：

• The temptation would grow to take out our frustrations on Saigon. 由于我们遭到挫折而要同西贡算帐的引诱力会增加。
• Aspirations will be raised, but so will frustrations. 人们会产生种种憧憬，但是种种挫折也会随之而来。

11 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

12 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

13 embroiled   

adj.卷入的；纠缠不清的

参考例句：

• He became embroiled in a dispute with his neighbours. 他与邻居们发生了争执。
• John and Peter were quarrelling, but Mary refused to get embroiled. 约翰和彼得在争吵，但玛丽不愿卷入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？