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Senior U.S. legislators of both political parties say critical questions remain unanswered concerning America's strategy in Iraq, despite days of testimony¹ before Congress by the top U.S. military commander in Iraq as well as the U.S. ambassador to Baghdad.

美国共和党和民主党的资深议员说，尽管美军驻伊拉克最高指挥官和美国驻巴格达大使在国会进行了几天的作证，但是他们仍然没有回答关于美国在伊拉克战略方面的一些关键问题。

Last week saw General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker tell members of Congress that significant military progress has been achieved in Iraq over the last year, but that the country's improved security situation is fragile and could be reversed.

彼得雷乌斯将军和克罗克大使上星期对国会议员说，过去的一年里在军事方面取得了重大进展，伊拉克的安全状况虽然有所改善，但是还非常脆弱，而且有逆转的可能。

Accordingly, General Petraeus said he is recommending that President Bush continue with a modest drawdown of last year's U.S. troop surge in Iraq, and then hold troop levels steady for a period of months to assess the situation.

因此，彼得雷乌斯将军说，他建议美国总统布什继续适度地减少美国去年在伊拉克的增兵人数，然后在几个月内保持一定水平的军队数量，以便对局势作出评估。

The general's words failed to impress the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Joseph Biden of Delaware, who spoke² on CNN's Late Edition program.

彼得雷乌斯将军的话并没有打动美国参议院外交关系委员会主席、德拉瓦州参议员乔.拜登。

"He [Petraeus] is saying, 'Look, we have made some progress," said Senator Biden. "We have not made a lot of progress, and what little progress we have made is reversible.' The reason it is reversible is not so much [that the U.S. is] drawing down troops, the reason is that what little political accommodation has been made [by Iraqi leaders] is very fragile. The whole deal [reason] for this surge was to provide breathing space so the parties that are killing³ each other - Sunni-Shi'a, Shi'a-Shi'a - stop killing one another. There is no evidence that that has been done."

拜登在美国有线电视新闻网《最新版本》节目中说：“彼得雷乌斯说，‘看，我们取得了一些进展。我们没有取得很大的进展，而且我们取得的一点儿进展还是可以逆转的。’ “可逆转的原因不是因为美国正在减少驻伊拉克的军队人数，而是伊拉克领导人作出的政治和解是非常脆弱的。美国实行增兵计划的主要理由是让这些党派--逊尼派和什叶派、什叶派和什叶派之间进行的互相残杀不要再继续下去。但是，没有任何证据表明我们做到了这些。”

Even the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, Indiana Senator Richard Lugar, says the Petraus-Crocker testimony left him with doubts. Lugar also spoke on Late Edition.

就连在外交关系委员会中的共和党领导人、印第安纳州参议员卢格也说，彼得雷乌斯将军和克罗克大使的证词让他产生了怀疑。卢格也在《最新版本》节目上说：

"I thought the hearing demonstrated that we do not have, still, a definition of success or victory [in Iraq]," said Senator Lugar. "As a matter of fact, I asked General Petraeus for some idea of a formula for how the politics of Iraq might turn out. He really had no response to this [question]."

“我认为，这次听证会表明了我们还是没有给我们在伊拉克的成功或者胜利下一个定义。实际上，我问过彼得雷乌斯将军，伊拉克的政局的可能出路究竟是什么。他对此没有作出任何回答。”

President Bush has said that, as security improves in Iraq, U.S. forces will be brought home so long as their absence does not put progress in Iraq at risk. He has refused to agree to a timetable for withdrawals⁴, saying reductions in troop levels will be determined⁵ by conditions on the ground in Iraq that are impossible to predict in advance.

布什总统说，随着伊拉克的安全状况得以改善，只要美国军队的离开不会危及伊拉克的进展，美国就可以撤回军队。他拒绝为撤军设定一个时间表。他说，撤军数量将取决于伊拉克的地面局势，但伊拉克的地面局势是无法提前作出估计的。

Appearing on CBS' Face the Nation program, Defense⁶ Secretary Robert Gates acknowledged Congress' impatience⁷ to arrive at a definitive⁸ endgame for America's involvement in Iraq. But he said the situation in Iraq remains⁹ fluid and fragile, and under such circumstances the United States must keep its future options open and flexible.

美国国防部长盖茨在哥伦比亚广播公司的《面向全国》节目中承认，国会希望美军不要再卷入伊拉克的战争。但是，他说，伊拉克的局势仍然不够稳定，还很脆弱。在这种情况下，美国必须确保未来有作出各种选择的灵活性。

"I think people want certainty about things that no one can know," said Secretary Gates. "Very few would have thought a year ago that things would be as good as they are in Iraq despite the challenges that remain before us now."

盖茨说：“我认为，人们想要去确定那些没有人能够确定的事情。很少有人能在一年前就知道伊拉克会取得目前的良好局势，尽管我们面前还存在很多挑战。”

Gates added that Iran's influence in Iraq, as well as al-Qaida's continued presence in the country, constitute additional complicating¹⁰ factors that must be taken into account in determining America's course of action in Iraq.

盖茨还说，伊朗对伊拉克的影响以及伊拉克不断存在的基地恐怖组织，这些都是决定美国在伊拉克采取行动步骤时必须考虑的额外复杂因素。