2006年VOA标准英语-Iraq, Syria Restore Relations

By Margaret Besheer
Irbil
21 November 2006

Iraq and Syria have fully¹ restored relations severed² more than 25 years ago. Many hope the move will help stem spiraling sectarian violence inside Iraq. But in a heated session of parliament Tuesday, Sunni and Shi'ite deputies blamed one another for the violence and neither side called for a halt to the bloodshed. VOA's Margaret Besheer has more from northern Iraq.

Iraq and Syria severed relations more than 25 years ago, when Syria threw its support behind Iran during the eight-year-long war between Iraq and Iran. 

Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Moallem, (l), and Iraq's Foreign Affairs Minister Hoshyar Zebari attend media conference in Baghdad, Nov. 21, 2006

But in Baghdad Tuesday, Iraq and Syria's foreign ministers put old animosities behind them as they signed the document restoring diplomatic ties.

Iraq's foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, said both countries would re-open their embassies immediately and there would be cooperation on all fronts, especially security.

Syria is widely believed to have done little to stop foreign fighters from crossing its border to join Sunni insurgents³ in Iraq. It also has provided refuge for many top members of Saddam Hussein's former leadership and political corps⁴, which is thought to have organized arms and funding for the insurgents. The hope now is that renewed relations between the neighbors will encourage Damascus to stop the border crossings, and help Iraq get on the road to peace and stability.

But as outsiders debate whether Iraq is slipping toward a civil war, the country's parliament Tuesday did nothing to allay⁵ those fears.

Senior political leaders traded angry words and accusations⁶, but neither side called for an end to the sectarian attacks and counterattacks that have been terrorizing Baghdad and its surrounding areas for nearly a year and left thousands of Iraqi civilians⁷ dead.

Shiite parliamentarian Jalal al-Dine al-Sagher warned that if the leaders of Iraq's army are not quickly replaced, and the killing⁸ and kidnapping of Shiites does not stop, supporters would be unleashed⁹ to seek revenge against them.

Iraq's Ministry¹⁰ of Defense¹¹, which is responsible for the army, is Sunni-led.

Adnan al-Dulaimi, the deputy head of the Association of Muslim Scholars and one of the most influential¹² Sunni Arab members of parliament, lashed¹³ out at his Shiite counterpart. Dulaimi accused Jalal al-Dine al-Sagher of being the instigator¹⁴ of attacks against Sunnis, saying his supporters have killed and kidnapped Sunnis and burned their mosques¹⁵ and attacked their homes.

While the legislators engaged in a war of words, more than a dozen Iraqis were killed across the country.

Separately, Iraqi and American forces conducted more raids in Baghdad as they continue to try and break up illegal militias¹⁶ responsible for rampant¹⁷ kidnappings and murders.

In one operation, troops detained members of an alleged¹⁸ kidnapping cell operating out of the Shi'ite stronghold of Sadr City in eastern Baghdad. The U.S. military said one of the people detained is reported to have first-hand information regarding an American soldier who was abducted¹⁹ last month.

In another Baghdad raid, the military says it killed three suspected terrorists and detained four others.

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 severed   

v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂

参考例句：

• The doctor said I'd severed a vessel in my leg. 医生说我割断了腿上的一根血管。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We have severed diplomatic relations with that country. 我们与那个国家断绝了外交关系。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

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 allay   

v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等)

参考例句：

• The police tried to allay her fears but failed.警察力图减轻她的恐惧，但是没有收到什么效果。
• They are trying to allay public fears about the spread of the disease.他们正竭力减轻公众对这种疾病传播的恐惧。

6 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

7 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

8 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

9 unleashed   

v.把（感情、力量等）释放出来，发泄( unleash的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The government's proposals unleashed a storm of protest in the press. 政府的提案引发了新闻界的抗议浪潮。
• The full force of his rage was unleashed against me. 他把所有的怒气都发泄在我身上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

11 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

12 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

13 lashed   

adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• The rain lashed at the windows. 雨点猛烈地打在窗户上。
• The cleverly designed speech lashed the audience into a frenzy. 这篇精心设计的演说煽动听众使他们发狂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 instigator   

n.煽动者

参考例句：

• It is not a and differs from instigator in nature. 在刑法理论中，通常将教唆犯作为共犯的一种类型加以探究。 来自互联网
• If we are really the instigator, we are awaiting punishment. 如果我们真的是煽动者，那我们愿意接受惩罚。 来自互联网

15 mosques   

清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
• The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。

16 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

17 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。

18 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

19 abducted   

劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展

参考例句：

• Detectives have not ruled out the possibility that she was abducted. 侦探尚未排除她被绑架的可能性。
• The kid was abducted at the gate of kindergarten. 那小孩在幼儿园大门口被绑架走了。