This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.
Somalia has taken a big step along its so-called roadmap for ending a period of political transition toward a new government. On Friday, in Nairobi, Somali officials signed an agreement on a proposed constitution.
Augustine Mahiga, the United Nations special representative for Somalia, welcomed the signing of several important measures on the roadmap.
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Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, center-right, speaks to reporters in Nairobi, Kenya Friday. Somalia's political leaders have agreed on a draft constitution. |
AUGUSTINE MAHIGA: "This stage in Nairobi is probably the most critical because it ushers in the accomplishment of one of the major steps to end the transition."
Six parties have signed the roadmap, including the leaders of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government and regional governments. The signers also include a representative of an influential militia.
Friday's agreement in the Kenyan capital followed more than two days of debate. Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohammed Ali said the debate was mainly about the size of the future parliament and the methods for choosing future lawmakers.
ABDIWELI ALI: "It went through a difficult process, but with all the challenges that we faced, we finally delivered to the Somali people."
A National Constituent Assembly with eight hundred twenty-five members must still approve the draft constitution. After that, the constitution will be considered provisional until Somalis hold a national vote to make it permanent. But the Somali government and international officials have said the security situation remains too dangerous to hold such a referendum.
The assembly will meet in Mogadishu next month. The officials gathered in Nairobi decided to delay the assembly meeting by two weeks. That delay will leave only one month to elect a parliament and a new president by August twentieth. That is the deadline agreed to by the signers of the roadmap for ending an eight-year-long transition.
Somalia has not had a strong central government since the fall of President Mohamed Siad Barre in nineteen ninety-one. The Transitional Federal Government was established in two thousand four but has little real power.
Somalia is one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Three military offensives are underway against al-Shabab militants in central and southern Somalia.
VOA recently did a survey of Somalis to get their opinions about their proposed constitution. The survey offers a rare look at the political views in a country torn by war and drought. More than three thousand men and women answered the survey.
Eighty-three percent of those in the survey said they want a constitution with a strong central government. Eighty-seven percent said the constitution should be based in Sharia, or Islamic law. Sixty-eight percent agreed that women should be allowed to hold political positions.
Senior editor Harun Maruf in VOA's Somali Service says the service teamed with Google to do the survey.
HARUN MARUF: "There was never political survey with this depth and effort in Somalia. This would be the first one."
The service collected more than twenty thousand phone numbers for the survey. Harun Maruf says the militant-controlled areas proved the most difficult, as expected.
HARUN MARUF: "You would call somebody who lives in a territory controlled by al-Shabab, and al-Shabab will know. They issued a statement saying that anybody who participates in the constitution process would be put to death."
And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.
索馬里簽署憲法草案
This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.
這里是美國之音慢速英語新聞報道。
Somalia has taken a big step along its so-called roadmap for ending a period of political transition toward a new government. On Friday, in Nairobi, Somali officials signed an agreement on a proposed constitution.
索馬里沿著結(jié)束政治過渡期的所謂路線圖,朝著新政府邁出了一大步。周五,索馬里官員在內(nèi)羅畢(肯尼亞首都)就擬議憲法(憲法草案)簽署了協(xié)議。
Augustine Mahiga, the United Nations special representative for Somalia, welcomed the signing of several important measures on the roadmap.
聯(lián)合國索馬里問題特別代表奧古斯丁·馬希格(Augustine Mahiga)對路線圖上幾大重要議案的簽署表示了歡迎。
AUGUSTINE MAHIGA: "This stage in Nairobi is probably the most critical because it ushers in the accomplishment of one of the major steps to end the transition."
馬希格:“內(nèi)羅畢的這個階段可能是最關(guān)鍵的,因為它迎來了結(jié)束過渡的一個重要步驟的貫徹落實。”
Six parties have signed the roadmap, including the leaders of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government and regional governments. The signers also include a representative of an influential militia.
索馬里六方簽署了路線圖,其中包括索馬里過渡聯(lián)邦政府和地方政府的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人。簽署者還包括一個強勢民兵組織的代表。
Friday's agreement in the Kenyan capital followed more than two days of debate. Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohammed Ali said the debate was mainly about the size of the future parliament and the methods for choosing future lawmakers.
周五在肯尼亞首都簽署的這項協(xié)議經(jīng)過了兩天多的爭論。索馬里總理阿卜迪韋利·穆罕默德·阿里(Minister Abdiweli Mohammed Ali)表示,爭議主要集中于未來議會的規(guī)模,以及選取未來議員的辦法。
ABDIWELI ALI: "It went through a difficult process, but with all the challenges that we faced, we finally delivered to the Somali people."
穆罕默德·阿里:“協(xié)議的簽署經(jīng)歷了一個艱難的過程,但我們歷經(jīng)所有挑戰(zhàn),最終將它提交給了索馬里人民。”
A National Constituent Assembly with eight hundred twenty-five members must still approve the draft constitution. After that, the constitution will be considered provisional until Somalis hold a national vote to make it permanent. But the Somali government and international officials have said the security situation remains too dangerous to hold such a referendum.
這份憲法草案仍需得到由825名成員組成的全國制憲大會的批準。被批準之后,這部憲法草案將被視為臨時憲法,直到索馬里人民舉行全國性投票使其永久化。但索馬里政府和國際官員已經(jīng)表示,安全局勢仍然太危險無法舉行這樣的公投。
The assembly will meet in Mogadishu next month. The officials gathered in Nairobi decided to delay the assembly meeting by two weeks. That delay will leave only one month to elect a parliament and a new president by August twentieth. That is the deadline agreed to by the signers of the roadmap for ending an eight-year-long transition.
全國制憲大會將于下月在摩加迪沙召開,聚集在內(nèi)羅畢的官員決定將其推遲兩周舉行。這一推遲將使得全國制憲大會的召開距8月20日選舉議員和新總統(tǒng)只剩1個月時間。這是路線圖簽署者同意的結(jié)束8年之久過渡期的最后期限。
Somalia has not had a strong central government since the fall of President Mohamed Siad Barre in nineteen ninety-one. The Transitional Federal Government was established in two thousand four but has little real power.
自從1991年穆罕默德·西亞德·巴雷(Mohamed Siad Barre)總統(tǒng)倒臺后,索馬里一直沒有一個強有力的中央政府。過渡政府成立于2004年,但沒有太大實權(quán)。
Somalia is one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Three military offensives are underway against al-Shabab militants in central and southern Somalia.
索馬里是全球最危險的國家之一。針對中部和南部索馬里青年黨武裝分子發(fā)動的三大攻勢正在進行中。
VOA recently did a survey of Somalis to get their opinions about their proposed constitution. The survey offers a rare look at the political views in a country torn by war and drought. More than three thousand men and women answered the survey.
美國之音最近對索馬里人做了一項調(diào)查,以獲取他們對擬議憲法的意見。這項調(diào)查對這個飽受戰(zhàn)亂和干旱蹂躪的國家的政治觀點進行了一次罕見的審視。三千多名男性和女性參與了這次調(diào)查。
Eighty-three percent of those in the survey said they want a constitution with a strong central government. Eighty-seven percent said the constitution should be based in Sharia, or Islamic law. Sixty-eight percent agreed that women should be allowed to hold political positions.
83%的調(diào)查者表示,他們希望憲法能夠帶來一個強有力的中央政府。87%的調(diào)查者表示,憲法應(yīng)該基于伊斯蘭法。68%的調(diào)查者認為女性應(yīng)當被允許持有政治立場。
Senior editor Harun Maruf in VOA's Somali Service says the service teamed with Google to do the survey.
美國之音索馬里部門的高級編輯哈倫·瑪若夫(Harun Maruf)表示,該部門聯(lián)合Google做了這項調(diào)查。
HARUN MARUF: "There was never political survey with this depth and effort in Somalia. This would be the first one."
瑪若夫:“索馬里從沒有過這種深度,付出這么多努力的政治調(diào)查,這是第一次。”
The service collected more than twenty thousand phone numbers for the survey. Harun Maruf says the militant-controlled areas proved the most difficult, as expected.
該部門為這次調(diào)查收集了超過2萬個電話號碼?,斎舴虮硎?,和預(yù)期的一樣,調(diào)查武裝分子控制地區(qū)被證明是最困難的。
HARUN MARUF: "You would call somebody who lives in a territory controlled by al-Shabab, and al-Shabab will know. They issued a statement saying that anybody who participates in the constitution process would be put to death."
瑪若夫:“打給青年黨控制地區(qū)的人,青年黨就會知道。他們發(fā)表了一項聲明稱,參與憲法進程的任何人都將被處死。”