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Australia will offer a permanent home to hundreds of its Iraqi employees when Canberra pulls its combat forces out of the troubled country later this year. There are fears these employees could face retribution after Australian troops are withdrawn¹.

澳大利亚今年晚些时候把军队撤离麻烦不断的伊拉克的时候，将接纳数以千计的伊拉克雇员到澳大利亚永久定居。有人担心这些雇员在堪培拉撤回部队以后可能会遭到报复。

When senior Australian government ministers recently visited Iraq, their country's soldiers urged the government not to abandon Iraqi employees when Canberra withdraws its combat units later this year.

澳大利亚政府高级内阁成员最近访问伊拉克的时候，澳大利亚军人促请政府在堪培拉今年晚些时候将部队撤回澳大利亚的时候，不要置伊拉克雇员于不顾。

Defense² Minister Joel Fitzgibbon has acknowledged that Iraqis may face danger because they work for the Australian forces in the south of the country. He says some have been targeted by insurgents³.

澳大利亚国防部长乔尔.菲茨吉本承认，伊拉克人可能面临危险，因为他们在伊拉克南部为澳大利亚军队服务。他们一些人曾经成为反叛份子袭击的目标。

Fitzgibbon says all locally hired employees and their families will be eligible⁴ to settle in Australia.

菲茨吉本说，所有在当地征召的雇员和他们的家属都会合法在澳大利亚定居。

"We expect up to 600 Iraqis will be involved in the process," he said. "Interpreters and translators there have played a very significant role in assisting us in terms of strategy and of course, protection. And we do feel that we have a moral obligation to them, to resettle them here in Australia."

他说：“我们估计最多会有600名伊拉克人符合手续，当地的翻译工作人员在协助我们取得战略成功上，当然还有防卫方面，都扮演了非常重要的角色。我们的确感到对他们有一种道义责任，让他们在澳大利亚定居。”

The Iraqis who accept Australia's offer will be subject to strict health and security checks.

接受在澳大利亚定居的伊拉克人将受到严格的健康和安全检查。

Australia has about 1,500 military personnel in and around Iraq. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has promised to bring home 550 combat troops by the middle of this year.

澳大利亚有大约1500名军人驻守在伊拉克境内和伊拉克周围。陆克文总理曾经保证到今年中期撤回550名作战人员。

The government in Canberra wants to avoid a repeat of the Vietnam War. After the war ended, thousands of Vietnamese working for the Australian and American forces were persecuted⁵ or killed by the victorious⁶ North Vietnamese government.

堪培拉政府希望避免重复越南战争的局面。越战结束后，成千上万曾经为澳大利亚和美国军队服务的越南人受到取得胜利的北越政府的迫害，甚至被至于死地。

Some human rights groups criticize the plan to grant visas to Iraqi translators and other employees. They say that that thousands of other refugees who have fled the war in Iraq also deserve to be offered sanctuary⁷.

一些人权组织批评向伊拉克翻译和其他雇员发放移民签证的计划。他们说，成千上万逃出伊拉克的难民也应该得到避难所。

Australia resettles about 13,000 refugees each year through official humanitarian⁸ programs. Large numbers of Iraqis and displaced people from Afghanistan have been allowed to build new lives in Australia in the past several years.

澳大利亚通过官方的人道项目每年安置大约1万3千名难民。过去几年来，大批来自伊拉克和阿富汗的无家可归的难民被允许在澳大利亚开始新的生活。