VOA常速英语2007年-Iraq Vows Crackdown on Kurdish Rebels

By Sonja Pace
Istanbul
03 November 2007

Iraq's leaders vowed¹ to crack down on Kurdish rebels, using northern Iraq as a staging point to launch attacks into neighboring Turkey, while Turkey is leaving its options open to possible retaliation².  Pressure for action against the rebels mounted as Iraq, its neighbors and major international powers and organizations met in Istanbul to discuss Iraq's own stability. VOA's Sonja Pace has details from the conference site.

Speaking at an international conference on Iraq here in Istanbul, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki promised action against the Kurdistan Workers' Party, the PKK.

He said his government would close all PKK offices in Iraq and cut PKK's support lines including at airports and borders and through increased checkpoints.  Mr. al Maliki also said Iraq would track down PKK members inside Iraq. 

Iraq's promise to get tough comes amid strong pressure from conference host Turkey and from the United States.

Turkey has threatened to launch its own military incursion into northern Iraq to destroy rebel bases, and is vowing³ economic sanctions against those supporting the PKK.

Speaking to journalists as the conference ended,  said concrete actions would become evident.   

"No one should be under any illusion the Iraqi government is [not] very serious to cooperate actively⁴ and to lend its active support to the Turkish government in combating, in containing, in diminishing the PKK terrorism," he said.

There were reports from northern Iraq Saturday that the regional government there had closed the offices of a political group linked to the PKK.

But, during the final news conference in Istanbul, Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babcan gave no indication that this was enough.  He said all options remain on the table for a Turkish response to the rebel threat.

Babacan said there are many ways to combat terrorism and he said Turkey would explore all options and decide whether, when and how to use them.

US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice met with her Turkish and Iraqi counterparts on the sidelines of the Istanbul conference to discuss the PKK issue.  Washington has been urging restraint.

In an interview with VOA after the conference, Foreign Minister Zebari said the talks proved useful.

"We believe during this conference we managed to take the sting out of this tension, to calm down the situation, to rationalize the situation, not to move into rash actions," he added.  "The situation is far more complicated than many people think, and we really made a strong point to everybody that any major military incursion will destabilize the one single, most stable part of Iraq."

The Istanbul meeting brought together ministers and senior government representatives from Iraq, its neighbors and world powers such as Britain and the United States.  It was designed to discuss ways to help stabilize⁵ Iraq, but the PKK issue seemed to overshadow all else.  The next Iraq neighbors' meeting is scheduled to be held in Kuwait.

1 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

2 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。

4 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

5 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。