[ti:US Seeks to Ease Tensions Between North, South in Sudan] [ar:Steve Ember] [al:IN THE NEWS] [by:www.hxen.com] [00:05.67]如果您也喜欢 恒星英语学习网 www.hxen.com 请与您的朋友分享...This is IN THE NEWS [00:08.57]in VOA Special English. [00:11.76]South Sudan is preparing [00:13.89]to declare its independence [00:16.57]on July ninth. But [00:18.33]recent events have [00:20.04]raised concerns about [00:21.54]the peace process [00:23.44]that ended years of [00:25.67]civil war with Sudan's [00:28.82]north.Last month northern [00:31.92]forces seized most of Abyei, [00:35.07]an area rich in oil fields [00:36.61]in the central part [00:38.83]of Sudan. The south [00:40.80]voted for separation [00:43.23]in January. People in [00:45.78]Abyei were supposed to [00:47.90]decide that same day [00:49.91]whether to join the north [00:52.13]or the south. But [00:53.57]that never happened [00:55.39]because of a disagreement [00:57.36]over who could vote. [00:59.74]The United Nations says [01:01.75]tens of thousands of [01:04.15]people fled after northern [01:06.92]troops and allied militia [01:08.69]occupied the area [01:10.44]on May twenty-first. [01:13.07]They forced out troops [01:14.57]from south Sudan. [01:17.41]Based on early reports, [01:19.74]Abyei's former chief [01:21.92]administrator said about [01:23.63]one hundred civilians [01:26.14]were killed. There was [01:26.98]no independent [01:29.31]confirmation of that number. [01:32.10]The north has rejected [01:34.42]calls from the United States, [01:36.95]the United Nations and [01:39.53]south Sudan to remove [01:41.75]its troops from Abyei. [01:44.80]The area was a battleground [01:47.28]during the long civil war. [01:49.67]That war ended with [01:51.23]the two thousand five [01:53.56]Comprehensive Peace Accord, [01:56.66]or CPA, which led to [01:58.90]the vote in the south. [02:01.74]On Wednesday, the government [02:04.33]in Khartoum offered proposals [02:06.75]for settling the dispute. [02:08.82]The north called for [02:11.14]an African force to [02:12.85]replace international [02:15.13]peacekeeping troops in Sudan. [02:18.39]It also suggested a new [02:21.49]joint administration for Abyei. [02:24.88]Southern officials reportedly [02:26.63]rejected the proposals. [02:29.11]Two American officials [02:31.64]met with Sudanese officials [02:33.81]in Khartoum on Wednesday. [02:37.01]President Obama sent his top [02:39.60]anti-terrorism advisor, [02:41.61]John Brennan, and Sudan [02:44.65]Special Envoy Princeton Lyman. [02:47.13]The Obama administration [02:49.00]said Mr. Brennan [02:50.81]discussed the importance [02:52.77]of cooperation against [02:55.09]al-Qaida and its allies. [02:57.74]He expressed President [03:00.48]Obama's deep concern over [03:02.75]the continued presence of [03:05.40]Sudanese forces in Abyei. [03:08.18]In Washington, America's [03:10.51]top diplomat for Africa, [03:12.77]Johnnie Carson, called for [03:14.85]talks between Sudanese [03:17.34]President Omar al-Bashir [03:19.14]and southern leader [03:20.59]Salva Kiir. [03:21.04]JOHNNIE CARSON: "We are [03:22.75]deeply concerned about [03:24.23]the situation in Abyei, [03:25.64]and in southern Sudan. [03:27.62]We want to do as much as [03:29.60]we possibly can between [03:31.41]now and July ninth to [03:32.81]assure that the [03:34.82]Comprehensive Peace Agreement [03:36.84]is fully complied with." [03:38.70]Mr. Carson said the [03:40.71]seizure of Abyei could [03:42.19]threaten what he called [03:44.09]a road map for normal [03:45.64]relations between the [03:47.50]United States and Sudan. [03:49.82]It could also threaten [03:52.10]the possible removal of [03:54.27]Sudan from the American [03:56.28]list of State Sponsors [03:57.72]of Terrorism. [04:00.16]On Tuesday, Sudan's [04:02.22]United Nations ambassador [04:04.49]said his government sees [04:07.18]no need for UN peacekeepers [04:09.61]to stay in Sudan after [04:11.88]July ninth. This was [04:13.75]Ambassador Daffa-Alla [04:16.28]Ali Osman speaking to the [04:18.14]Security Council through [04:19.33]an interpreter. DAFFA-ALLA ALI OSMAN [04:19.63](INTERPRETER): "Any [04:21.65]attempts to justify the [04:23.35]continuation of the mission, [04:25.37]such as the issue of [04:27.49]pending issues, would not [04:28.58]be right." [04:31.06]Those issues also include [04:33.24]where to draw the more than [04:35.10]two-thousand-kilometer-long [04:37.27]border and how to share [04:39.86]oil money. Another issue [04:41.50]between the north and [04:43.10]the south is Sudan's [04:45.12]thirty-eight billion [04:46.20]dollar debt. [04:48.47]And that's IN THE NEWS [04:51.37]in VOA Special English. [04:53.23]I'm Steve Ember.如果您也喜欢 恒星英语学习网 www.hxen.com 请与您的朋友分享...