普京在莫斯科会见叙利亚总统阿萨德

AS IT IS 2015-10-22 Assad Meets Putin in Moscow 普京在莫斯科会见叙利亚总统阿萨德

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad left his country for the first time in four years to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The two leaders discussed Russia’s military participation¹ in Syria. Three weeks ago, Russia began aerial attacks in Syria.

Russia and Syria say they are attacking Islamic State, or ISIS terrorists. But some Western nations, including the U.S., say they are attacking Syrians who oppose Mr. Assad.

Mr. Assad has not publicly traveled abroad since 2011. That year, Syrian security forces cracked down on peaceful protests in Syria. The violence has spiraled into civil war, and 240,000 people have died.

The Russian government called Tuesday’s meeting in Moscow a “working visit.” During the meeting, Mr. Assad said he was grateful to Mr. Putin for Russia’s help. The Syrian president said without Russia’s assistance, “terrorism” would have spread to more areas.

The Syrian government routinely refers to rebel fighters as “terrorists.” During the three-week campaign, Russia has been criticized by the United States for targeting rebels. The U.S. noted² that Russian air strikes should be focused on Islamic State militants³. 

The talks came on the same day that Russia and the U.S. signed a memorandum⁵ of understanding (MOU). This memo⁴ states how Russian and U.S. aircraft will maintain safe distances over Syrian skies.

The agreement covers all types of aircraft over Syria – including drones.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the Russians requested that the full memo not be shared with the public. Mr. Cook said the U.S. will continue with its own strategy in Syria. The U.S.-led coalition⁶ has attacked ISIS militants more than 2,600 times in the past 13 months. 

Syrian ground troops have advanced into central and northern parts of the country, according to the Associated Press. Some villages have been taken, but the war continues.

By late Wednesday, a Syrian official confirmed that Mr. Assad returned to Damascus. It is believed that the Assad-Putin meeting was their first meeting in eight years.

Words in This Story

spiral – v. to get worse in a continuous and usually fast and uncontrolled way

memorandum – n. an informal written record of an agreement

1 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

4 memo   

n.照会，备忘录；便笺；通知书；规章

参考例句：

• Do you want me to send the memo out?您要我把这份备忘录分发出去吗？
• Can you type a memo for me?您能帮我打一份备忘录吗？

5 memorandum   

n.备忘录，便笺

参考例句：

• The memorandum was dated 23 August,2008.备忘录上注明的日期是2008年8月23日。
• The Secretary notes down the date of the meeting in her memorandum book.秘书把会议日期都写在记事本上。

6 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。