2006年VOA标准英语-US General Wants Faster Security Transitio

By Al Pessin
Washington
03 January 2006

The commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East says he wants to accelerate the handover of security responsibility in Iraq to the country's new security forces this year. In an interview with reporters traveling with him in Iraq in recent days, the general said that is the only way for Iraqis to take control of their future.

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Gen. John Abizaid, left, chief of US Central Command, and Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., the top US commander in Iraq
(File photo - Nov. 29, 2005)   
  

In the interview with reporters from USA Today and Knight¹ Ridder newspapers, General John Abizaid said his trainers are sometimes reluctant to hand over responsibility to their Iraqi counterparts. And the general acknowledged there are risks associated with putting relatively² inexperienced Iraqi officers and soldiers in charge of security in their areas. But he said the American trainers have to accept that Iraq belongs to the Iraqis, and that once they are given what he called "the tools of sovereignty" they must be allowed to "grab hold of the controls."

General Abizaid said the American trainers know which Iraqi units are ready, and that "when bad things happen [you] dust yourself off, get back in there and fix it." He said this year the lead responsibility for security should be transferred from the U.S. military to the Iraqi military, but he noted³ that some parts of the country will be ready sooner than others.

Still, General Abizaid said there are many challenges ahead, including the development of an Iraqi officer corps⁴ that is loyal to the state, rather than to any one politician as was true in the past. He also acknowledged that Iraq's new political system has been violent, and may continue to be so. But the general said that does not mean the country is on the verge⁵ of civil war.

 
Lawrence DiRita
(file photo) 
  
Pentagon spokesman Lawrence DiRita told reporters Tuesday that U.S. trainers in Iraq tend to want the Iraqi units to reach a very high standard before being given full responsibility for operations. He says General Abizaid wants to find a balance point at which the Iraqi units are well prepared, but also are allowed to take control as they feel they are ready.

"The balance has always been, 'when does an individual unit feel like it's prepared to step out and do its job?' And increasingly Iraqi units feel that way," he said. "I think General Abizaid feels the Iraqi units have a lot of self-confidence, and we need to be o.k.with that. How quickly can we bring the Iraqi security forces to a point where they can take over responsibility, but do it in a way that's measured sufficiently⁶ so that we're helping⁷ set them up for success? I think General Abizaid has consistently been of the view that we should be leaning forward on that."

In the year-end interview, General Abizaid, the commander of U.S. forces from Afghanistan to East Africa, also called on the American people to be more patient about progress in Iraq. He said most Americans do not have a realistic understanding of both the progress and the challenges in Iraq. And he indicated that pressure from home makes it more difficult for his troops to do the hard job of providing security in Iraq, training the Iraqi military and police forces, and handing over responsibility to them as they become ready.

General Abizaid said some Americans want U.S. troops out of Iraq because "it's too hard, it's too hard to deal with and it costs an awful lot." But he said the U.S. effort in Iraq will be successful if Iraqi security forces are developed properly, the new government is accepted by the people and the economy continues to improve.

In all that, the general indicated, 2006 will be a crucial year. And General Abizaid told the reporters he is optimistic, particularly on the military aspects, and he added, "I'm not 'cautiously optimistic.' I'm optimistic."

1 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

2 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

3 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。

4 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

5 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

6 sufficiently   

adv.足够地，充分地

参考例句：

• It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
• The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。