VOA常速英语2007-US Calls on NATO Members to Reassess What's Need

By Al Pessin
Noordwijk, Netherlands
24 October 2007

U.S. Defense¹ Secretary Robert Gates called on NATO members Wednesday to reassess what they have to do to succeed in Afghanistan, and he indicated that means larger commitments for the military mission and help on economic development, counter-narcotics and other issues. The secretary spoke² to a small group of reporters after the first day of a two-day NATO defense ministers' meeting in the town of Noordwijk in the Netherlands. VOA's Al Pessin reports.

Secretary Gates said many NATO members are living up to the specific commitments they made for troops and other types of assistance for Afghanistan. But he says the alliance must go beyond promises made at its summit 11 months ago.

"We need to lift our sights, it seems to me, and see what is required long term for success, beyond the specific commitments that have already been made," he said.

Secretary Gates said increased efforts are needed particularly on economic development, building civil institutions and fighting the drug trade. At the same time, he said he feels better now than he did Monday, when he criticized NATO members for failing to send as many troops to Afghanistan as top leaders had promised.

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm satisfied, but I would say today was a considerably³ more positive day than I anticipated," he said.

Secretary Gates said NATO is about half way to filling the need for 72 training teams for the Afghan army by next summer, and he believes more teams will be promised in the coming months. He said he is confident NATO will rise to what he called "a litmus test for the effectiveness of the alliance in the 21st Century."

The secretary and other officials said several nations have indicated they will increase their troop commitments in Afghanistan, but they would not say which ones. One U.S. official said the commitments include training teams for volatile⁴ southern Afghanistan.

The French News Agency, AFP,  reports France will send 50 troops to southern Afghanistan as trainers. Secretary Gates would not confirm that, but said any increased French involvement would be "most welcome." Another U.S. official said such a move would be "a big strategic shift."

Officials say NATO's mission in Afghanistan took most of their time Wednesday in a meeting that ran more than half an hour longer than scheduled. Secretary Gates called it a "candid⁵ and open" discussion and said some ministers spoke "very strongly" about the need for a more equal sharing of the burden.

Sources who monitored the closed-door session said NATO countries that do most of the fighting in Afghanistan pressured others to take larger roles, particularly in providing ground forces, airlift and trainers for the Afghan army and police forces. Dutch Defense Minister Elmert van Middelkoop, whose government must soon decide whether to renew its troop commitment, echoed that theme at a news conference.

"It is not about what we are willing to say for a safer and more just world. It ultimately depends on what we are willing to do. Fair risk and burden-sharing has to be the leading principle for NATO," he said.

A senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity⁶, said Wednesday's meeting, with only the 26 NATO ministers in the room, was an "energizer⁷" and a "pressure cooker." The official says all the members expressed their commitment to completing the military, development, good governance and counter-narcotics missions in Afghanistan. The official said ministers from countries with relatively⁸ small commitments in Afghanistan indicated they will "go home and dig deep" to find additional resources to send.

The NATO secretary general, Jaap de Hoop⁹ Scheffer, called on members to show "military, financial and political solidarity¹⁰." He noted¹¹ that officials will meet early next month to make formal troop commitments to carry on the Afghanistan mission.

The secretary general and other officials also called for a greater effort to explain to the public in Europe why the Afghan mission is important in both security and humanitarian¹² terms.

1 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。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

4 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

5 candid   

adj.公正的，正直的；坦率的

参考例句：

• I cannot but hope the candid reader will give some allowance for it.我只有希望公正的读者多少包涵一些。
• He is quite candid with his friends.他对朋友相当坦诚。

6 anonymity   

n.the condition of being anonymous

参考例句：

• Names of people in the book were changed to preserve anonymity. 为了姓名保密，书中的人用的都是化名。
• Our company promises to preserve the anonymity of all its clients. 我们公司承诺不公开客户的姓名。

7 energizer   

n.抗抑制剂，情绪兴奋剂；增能器

参考例句：

• He thunk highly of QI of the spleen and stomach in middle energizer. 朱丹溪吸收了李东垣《脾胃论》的思想，临证用药重视中焦脾胃之气。 来自互联网

8 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。

9 hoop   

n.（篮球）篮圈，篮

参考例句：

• The child was rolling a hoop.那个孩子在滚铁环。
• The wooden tub is fitted with the iron hoop.木盆都用铁箍箍紧。

10 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

11 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。

12 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。