VOA标准英语2011--Arab League Finds Limits to Pressure on Syria

Arab League Finds Limits to Pressure on Syria

The Arab League meets again Saturday to deal with Syria's broken pledge to end a crackdown on anti-government protesters. But, there are limits to external pressure.

Pressure is building on the Arab League to move decisively against the Syrian government, which has yet to keep a promise it made to the league last week to stop attacking civilians¹. Activists² say more than 110 people have been killed since Syria announced it had agreed to the plan.

Doubts about diplomatic efforts were on display outside league headquarters in Cairo. Opposition³ members who want President Bashar al-Assad to step down reject the idea that dialogue still has a chance.

Anti-Assad demonstrators threw eggs at opposition members willing to talk Wednesday, barring most from entering the building.

But some outside league headquarters are willing to give the regional alliance one last chance.

"I call on the Arab League, if it cannot settle the matter this coming Saturday, to let go of the Syrian portfolio⁴ and refer it to the [U.N.] Security Council," said Syrian opposition coordinator⁵ Ghassan el Saleha.

It is not clear what more the league can do, but, so far, it has been against international intervention⁶.

Adib Shishakli is a member of the opposition Syrian National Council. He spoke⁷ to VOA via Skype:

"I understand the Arab League concern," said Shishakli. "The way Syria is positioned, next to Iraq, next to Lebanon, next to Israel and Palestine. You're talking about a TNT box. I understand they are taking their time on the Syrian issue."

There is also a practical reason that, no matter how bad the violence gets, the league is reluctant to call for outside military force, as it did against another member, Libya.

Security analyst⁸ Anthony Cordesman said "Syria is a real military power. It has fought Israel again and again. It has long range missiles. It has chemical weapons. It has thousands of tanks that are active and can be used. Its armored divisions can really fight. And it has an air force, which if not anything like the capability⁹ of a NATO air force, is nothing like the Libyan force, which had almost no real capability."

No matter what happens at the Arab League or the U.N., opposition member Shishakli says outside force may not be necessary.

"The regime is not as powerful as it was," he said. "Yes, it's continuing its brutality¹⁰ against the people, we're seeing people getting killed every day, but I'm telling you today we are much closer to freedom than any other day. "

Still, demonstrators remain outside Arab League headquarters to keep up pressure for international action. But the Syrian government shows no sign of buckling¹¹, blaming much of the unrest on "terrorists."

1 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。

2 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

4 portfolio   

n.公事包；文件夹；大臣及部长职位

参考例句：

• He remembered her because she was carrying a large portfolio.他因为她带着一个大公文包而记住了她。
• He resigned his portfolio.他辞去了大臣职务。

5 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

6 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

9 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

10 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

11 buckling   

扣住

参考例句：

• A door slammed in the house and a man came out buckling his belt. 房子里的一扇门砰地关上，一个男子边扣腰带边走了出来。
• The periodic buckling leaves the fibre in a waved conformation. 周期性的弯折在纤维中造成波形构成。