2006年VOA标准英语-Somalia Peace Talks Stall Again
时间：2018-12-07 作者：英语课 分类：2006年VOA标准英语（十月）
By Noel King
Khartoum
31 October 2006
Peace talks in Khartoum between Somalia's transitional government and Islamists who control much of the country have stalled for a second day. Islamists say they will not meet with the government delegation 1 unless Ethiopian troops pull out of Somalia.
Top leaders of Union of Islamic Courts, Sheikh Hussein Dahir Aweys, right, and Sheik Sharif Ahmed (file photo - Oct. 5, 2006)
Diplomats 2 say they are frustrated 3 by the delay and hope the peace talks will begin soon.
Negotiations 4 were set to start on Monday but the Somali government delegation did not arrive until late Monday evening.
The Union of Islamic Courts has refused to meet with the government delegation until Ethiopian troops withdraw from Somalia.
Ethiopia's presence in Somalia is a hotly contested issue. The Somali government has admitted that a few Ethiopian troops have been sent to the embattled nation, but denies that they are fighting alongside government forces.
On Tuesday, delegates from both sides remained at their hotel in the capital Khartoum, refusing to come to the bargaining table for a second day.
Islamists have also objected to Kenya as co-chair of the meetings, saying Kenya is not neutral and supports the presence of foreign troops in Somalia.
Kenya was set to co-chair with the Arab League, as part of its responsibilities as president of the Inter-governmental Authority on Development.
Rina Kristmoen, an observer from the Norwegian Embassy in Nairobi, told VOA that most diplomats were hoping the talks would begin soon.
"It's important that the parties meet, that they continue the dialogue and continue to try to find a solution and try to find peace in Somalia," said Kristmoen. "The deadlock 5 is over protocol 6 now. They are trying to decide who will chair the meeting. It's not a very big issue. It's a little bit unfortunate that it has taken so long to solve it."
Islamists now control much of southern Somalia, including the capital Mogadishu.
In response to the Islamist claim that Ethiopian troops are backing government forces, the transitional government has accused Eritrea of sending troops to bolster 7 the Islamic Courts.
Observers fear the tension could ignite a proxy 8 war between long-time rivals, Ethiopia and Eritrea, with Somalia as the battleground.
In two previous rounds of talks in Sudan the Somali government and Islamists have agreed to form a joint 9 national army and police force. But observers say the agreements have had little effect.
Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991 when warlords toppled dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
- The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
- We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。
- 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》
- It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
- The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
- Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。
- The negotiations reached a deadlock after two hours.两小时后，谈判陷入了僵局。
- The employers and strikers are at a deadlock over the wage.雇主和罢工者在工资问题上相持不下。
- We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
- The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。
- The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
- He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。