VOA标准英语2014--Lives At Risk' As Europe Cuts Back Mediterranean Rescue Mission

 

Lives At Risk' As Europe Cuts Back Mediterranean¹ Rescue Mission

LONDON— 

Refugee groups say thousands of lives will be at risk after Italy ended its migrant search and rescue mission in the Mediterranean Saturday. Codenamed "Mare² Nostrum³," the mission rescued hundreds of thousands of migrants over the past year who had left the north African coast in rickety boats aiming for European shores. The European Union has taken over the operation, but critics say it is much smaller in scale and poorly funded.

On the remote Italian island of Lampedusa - closer to Tunisia than Sicily - the arrival of dilapidated boats packed with hundreds of migrants is a near-daily occurrence.

Italy launched it's 'Mare Nostrum' operation a year ago after 500 migrants died off Lampedusa in October 2013 - forcing the government into action.

Italian coastguard and navy vessels⁴ backed by aircraft rescued an estimated 150,000 people in one year alone. It cost $11.9 million a month.

Footing the bill

The operation ended November 1. Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said Rome could no longer foot the bill.

“The death toll⁵ is not proportional to the amount of euros spent,” he said. “We have carried out a mission of which we are proud, and which began as a time-limited mission. The area covered by this mission almost reached the North African coast.”

Italy has long complained that its European partners have offered far too little help in dealing⁶ with the migrant influx⁷.  An estimated 150,000 have crossed the Mediterranean this year alone. Over 2500 are known to have died in that period.

'Triton'

The European Union's border agency, Frontex, is taking over the rescue mission under the codename Triton.  But it has a third of the resources and only covers up to 50 kilometers from Europe's shores.

Refugee and migrants support groups have strongly criticized the decision to end the rescue mission across the Mediterranean.

“There will be more dead at sea,” says Gunter Burkhardt is from the group Pro-Asyl in Germany. “Foreign ministers see the necessity to provide more aid, but the interior ministers of Europe do everything to seal off the borders for refugees, especially those from Syria.”

Enhanced cooperation needed

EU officials say member states have been slow in offering funding, personnel and equipment. Rafael Fernandez-Pita is Director General of the Council of the European Union.

“Member states alone, they cannot do it. Frontex alone, they cannot do it. So we need to cooperate, all of us together, to try and put a stop to this terrible drama,” said Rafael Fernandez-Pita, director general of the Council of the European Union.

Britain supported the termination of the Mare Nostrum rescue mission, saying that search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean 'create an unintended 'pull factor', encouraging more migrants to attempt the dangerous sea crossing.' Britain has offered just a single immigration officer for the new EU mission.

Europe says more must be done to tackle the traffickers who organize the treacherous⁸ crossings - charging between $1,500 and $3,500 for each migrant.

Among those attempting to cross are tens of thousands of Syrians fleeing the civil war; alongside Iraqis, Afghans, Eritreans and economic migrants from across Africa.

Pope on plight⁹ of migrants

Pope Francis has called for more global attention to the plight of migrants.

At a ceremony to celebrate All Saints' Day in Rome Saturday, he criticized the global response to those fleeing war and hunger.

“It seems that these people, these hungry children, these sick children, they do not count," the pontiff said. "It seems that they belong to another species, it seems they are not human.”

Refugee support groups say migrants fleeing war and poverty will not be put off by the decision to end Operation Mare Nostrum - and the boats will keep coming.

1 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

2 mare   

n.母马，母驴

参考例句：

• The mare has just thrown a foal in the stable.那匹母马刚刚在马厩里产下了一只小马驹。
• The mare foundered under the heavy load and collapsed in the road.那母马因负载过重而倒在路上。

3 nostrum   

n.秘方；妙策

参考例句：

• He told the patient that he had a nostrum.他告诉病人他有秘方。
• Photography studio provide you with a few small nostrum you must use.为您提供一些小妙策你一定用的着。

4 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

6 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

7 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

8 treacherous   

adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的

参考例句：

• The surface water made the road treacherous for drivers.路面的积水对驾车者构成危险。
• The frozen snow was treacherous to walk on.在冻雪上行走有潜在危险。

9 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。