2006年VOA标准英语-Iraqis Ambivalent About US Study Group Report

By Margaret Besheer
Irbil
04 December 2006

Baker1, co-chairman of Iraq Study Group, walks past with Vice2 President Dick Cheney, after meeting with President Bush, 13 Nov 2006<br />" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070510/1606450.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Former Secretary of State James Baker, co-chairman of Iraq Study Group, walks past with Vice President Dick Cheney, after meeting with President Bush, 13 Nov 2006

For weeks, the American media has been buzzing about the impending³ recommendations of the Baker-Hamilton Commission on changing strategy in Iraq. But Iraqi media and people in the street have hardly heard of the commission and show little enthusiasm for its report, to be released this week. Margaret Besheer has more from Northern Iraq.

Wednesday, the bipartisan U.S. panel led by former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker and former Democratic Congressman⁴ Lee Hamilton, will publish its recommendations.

It is expected to recommend withdrawing half of America's 144,000 troops from Iraq, by early 2008. The panel is also expected to urge direct talks between the United States and Iran and Syria, which would be a major American policy shift.

But Iraqi media have made little or no mention of the upcoming report, despite the fact that its recommendations could have a major impact on this country and the direction of the war.

Nouzad Hanna, a journalist with Iraq's state-run television, reacts with surprise when an American reporter tells him about the work of the Iraq Study Group and its report.

He begins scribbling⁵ notes furiously and is eager to call his editors with the news.

He says this is the first he has heard about the commission. He says the Iraqi media does not know about it and has not reported on it.

The Iraq Study Group has not been widely discussed in Iraqi media, but pan-Arab media, such as al-Jazeera television, has picked up on it, running a segment Sunday night on the commission's upcoming report.

On the streets of Ainkawa, an Arab Christian⁶ town in the north, nobody had heard of the Iraq Study Group.

Georges, an elderly man playing dominoes with friends at a café, says he has not heard about the report, either on the radio or in the newspapers.

Down the street, Ronnie, standing⁷ outside his small grocery store, says has not heard about the commission either, adding, he does not have time to listen to the radio, because he is too busy in his shop.

Political Science professor Mehdi Jaber Mehdi, who teaches at Salahedin University in Irbil, says the average Iraqi is unlikely to care about the Iraq Study Group report, because their daily lives are so difficult.

Professor Mehdi, who is originally from Baghdad, says, because the situation is so critical, Iraqis have lost faith in politicians, be they Iraqi, American or from the region, as well as for anything like the work of the Baker-Hamilton commission.

The commission is expected to recommend that the United States engage Iran and Syria on Iraq.

Nabil, an Iraqi engineer who has heard about the commission and its work, approves of this idea.

"I'm personally very much in favor of that," he said. "I believe that war will never solve anything. I believe that dialogue has got to persist. I believe that it is always worth giving it a try."

The panel is also expected to recommend the withdrawal⁸ of up to half of America's troops by early 2008 and a switch from combat operations to mostly training and support.

Omar, who is delivering candy bars to a grocery shop in Ainkawa, says he thinks such a move would be good for Iraq, because then Iraqis could provide their own security.

Whether Iraqis know about the work of the Baker-Hamilton Commission or not, they could see the impact of its recommendations, in the coming months. 

1 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 impending   

a.imminent, about to come or happen

参考例句：

• Against a background of impending famine, heavy fighting took place. 即将发生饥荒之时，严重的战乱爆发了。
• The king convoke parliament to cope with the impending danger. 国王召开国会以应付迫近眉睫的危险。

4 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

5 scribbling   

n.乱涂[写]胡[乱]写的文章[作品]v.潦草的书写( scribble的现在分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下

参考例句：

• Once the money got into the book, all that remained were some scribbling. 折子上的钱只是几个字！ 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• McMug loves scribbling. Mama then sent him to the Kindergarten. 麦唛很喜欢写字，妈妈看在眼里，就替他报读了幼稚园。 来自互联网

6 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。