VOA标准英语2011-Sudan Report Finds Oil Transparency Key t

More transparency is needed over Sudan oil revenues, according to the environmental rights group Global Witness. The distribution of resources in Sudan is a hot issue as the country prepares for a referendum on dividing the country between north and south.

A peace deal made in 2005 splits Sudan's oil revenues between the north and south, but that wealth-sharing pact¹ is due to expire following this month's referendum.

Southerners begin voting January 9 on whether to secede² from northern Sudan, and polls suggest independence will follow.

Why transparency is important

Rosie Sharpe from Global Witness says when a new deal is made, it needs to be more transparent³ than the outgoing arrangement.

"No one for sure can know exactly how much oil Sudan produces at the moment," Sharpe said. "And in order for any new oil deal between the north and south to be able to stand the tests of time, which could have disastrous⁴ consequences for the country, that issue needs to be cleared up going forward."

The Global Witness report says oil figures published by the Sudanese government are different from those put out by the country's largest oil extraction operation, the China National Petroleum⁵ Corporation.

Number gap

The oil production figures reported by the Chinese corporation are between 9 - 25 percent higher than the figures reported by the government in the north.

The Sudanese government told Global Witness the gap in the figures is due to the fact the China National Petroleum Corporation says it reports its figures before water has been extracted from the oil and some oil is also lost in transit⁶.

Division of wealth

Three-quarters of Sudan's oil is in the south of the country. But as Sharpe explains, dividing oil wealth will not be clear cut even if the south does secede.

"If south Sudan were to become independent, as all the polls suggest is likely, southern Sudan would be landlocked and the only way, at least for the next few years, that it would be able to export its oil would be through oil pipelines⁷ that run through the north of the country to the Red Sea coast and in a way that means that both north and south will have to cooperate if their oil is to be exported," Sharpe added.

Quest for peace

East Africa researcher Justin Willis of Britain's Durham University says bringing more transparency to Sudan's oil sector⁸ will be crucial to ensuring peace and stability in the country.

"This is an area which is absolutely shrouded⁹ in mystery," said Willis. "There are complicated special deals involving the output from each of the fields; it is very difficult to know how much money is being paid per barrel, where exactly the money is going. Unsurprisingly there has been a lot of suspicion in Juba that they are not getting what they are supposed to get and this really is a very major issue for the future. If there is not transparency there cannot possibly be any trust over this."

Global Witness says in the future a transparent deal should see oil figures regularly published, independent monitors, audits¹⁰, and a dispute resolution mechanism¹¹ put in place.

1 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

2 secede   

v.退出，脱离

参考例句：

• They plotted to make the whole Mississippi Valley secede from the United States.他们阴谋策划使整个密西西比流域脱离美国。
• We won't allow Tibet to secede from China and become an independent nation.我们决不允许西藏脱离中国独立。

3 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

4 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。

5 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

6 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

7 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

8 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。

9 shrouded   

v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密

参考例句：

• The hills were shrouded in mist . 这些小山被笼罩在薄雾之中。
• The towers were shrouded in mist. 城楼被蒙上薄雾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 audits   

n.审计，查账( audit的名词复数 )v.审计，查账( audit的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Requires that use of all bond funds is subject to independent audits. 需要使用的所有债券基金是受独立审计。 来自互联网
• Support the locations during customer-visits, audits and quality-improvement programs. 支持客户参观，稽核和提高品质等项目。 来自互联网

11 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。