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Iraq's Parliament has passed a law that removes restrictions¹ that prevented many members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party from serving in government posts. President Bush quickly hailed the move as an important step.

伊拉克议会通过了一项法律，取消对许多萨达姆.候塞因的社会复兴党成员在政府部门任职的限制。布什总统马上对这个举措表示欢迎，称它是一个重要的步骤。

The news from Baghdad reached President Bush in the midst of a Middle East tour, and just hours after he visited a U.S. army base in Kuwait that acts as a staging ground and support center for American forces in Iraq.

布什在中东之行途中得知了这个来自巴格达的消息，几小时前他刚刚访问了美军在科威特的一个基地，这个基地是驻伊拉克美军的补给站和供应中心。

By the time he reached Bahrain and sat down for talks with King Hamad Bin² Isa Al-Khalifa, Mr. Bush was jubilant - hailing the achievement of a key U.S. benchmark. "I'm pleased to inform you, your majesty³, that the Iraqi Council of Representatives passed a de-Baathification law today," he said.

布什抵达巴林和巴林国王哈马德会谈时显得喜气洋洋，对这个对美国来说非常重要的成就表示欢迎。他说：“我很高兴地通知您，陛下，伊拉克议会今天通过了一项瓦解社会复兴党的法律。”

The Bush administration has been pushing the Iraqis for months to pass a law that would remove restrictions on members of the Baath Party, allowing some to return to government jobs they held under Saddam Hussein.

布什政府几个月来一直敦促伊拉克通过一项法律，取消对社会复兴党党员的限制，允许一些社会复兴党的成员返回政府部门，从事他们在萨达姆政权下所做的工作。

For Mr. Bush, passage was a personal victory. "It's an important step toward reconciliation⁴. It's an important sign that the leaders in that country must work together to meet the aspirations⁵ of the Iraqi people," he said.

对布什来说，通过这项法律是他个人的胜利。他说：“这是迈向和解的重要一步。这是一个重要的迹象，表明伊拉克的领导人必须进行合作，以实现伊拉克人民的愿望。”

The restrictions on Baathists were put in place after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

对社会复兴党成员的限制是在2003年美国领导了攻打伊拉克的行动之后实施的。

But over time, the White House realized they were exacerbating⁶ tensions between Iraq's majority Shi'ites and once-dominant Sunnis. As a result, Washington urged Shi'ite leaders in parliament to lift the restrictions and make a gesture that could bring more Sunnis into the political process.

但是随著时间的过去，白宫意识到这些限制激化了伊拉克占多数的什叶派和一度处于统治地位的逊尼派之间的紧张关系。结果，美国敦促什叶派在议会中的领导人取消这些限制，并做出姿态让更多的逊尼派人士参与政治进程。

The new law will enable thousands of former Baath party members to apply for reinstatement in the civil service and military. Many more reforms are still awaiting action in the Iraqi legislature, including a measure on the distribution of oil revenue.

这项新的法律将让几千名前社会复兴党成员能够申请恢复他们以前在政府和军队中所担任的职务。更多的改革正在等待伊拉克立法机构采取行动，包括一项关于石油收益分配的法案。

Iraq is one of many issues the president is discussing here in Bahrain - the home of the U.S. fifth fleet. Mr. Bush is the first sitting American president to visit Bahrain, and he received a warm and, some would say, unusual welcome.

伊拉克问题是布什总统在巴林期间讨论的众多问题之一，美国第五舰队的基地就设在巴林。布什是第一位在任职期间访问巴林的美国总统，他在巴林受到了热烈的欢迎，有些人认为布什受到了不同寻常的欢迎。

After the speeches and military pageantry of the official welcoming ceremony, a troupe⁷ of dancers entered the stone and tile courtyard in front of the presidential palace.

在发表讲话和军方举行壮观的欢迎仪式之后，一个舞蹈团来到总统府前地上铺着石头和瓷砖的庭院。

They swayed as they sang, carrying swords and rifles and performing a traditional dance of tribesman going off to war or returning home. It was a reminder⁸ of the bloodshed the region has known for centuries and the underlying⁹ desire of warriors¹⁰ to put down their weapons and live in peace.

他们载歌载舞，手持刀剑和步枪，表演了部落男子奔赴战场或返回家园的传统舞蹈。这个舞蹈提醒人们这个地区几个世纪以来的流血事件，以及战士们希望放下武器、过上和平生活的隐秘愿望。