VOA常速英语2007年-Turkish Prime Minister says PKK Rebels Must be

By Sabina Castelfranco
Rome
07 November 2007

Turkey's prime minister says the Kurdistan Workers Party is an enemy that must be eliminated. He says the international community must be supportive in fighting this terrorist organization. Prime Minister Recep Tayiip Erdogan is in Italy for a two-day visit and was speaking following a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi. Sabina Castelfranco reports from Rome.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayiip Erdogan said the sharing of intelligence is needed as well as support from the international community in order to combat terrorism. He added that the Kurdistan Workers Party - the PKK - is a terrorist organization that must be eliminated.

Mr. Erdogan was speaking in Rome, where he will spend two days meeting top political and economic leaders. His trip to Italy follows a meeting with U.S. President George Bush in Washington. He said Mr. Bush also said that the PKK is an enemy of Turkey, of Iraq and of the United States.

Turkey has assembled 100,000 troops near the border with northern Iraq, where about 3,000 PKK guerrillas are based. Washington has urged Turkey to exercise restraint.

The Turkish prime minister said terror attacks by the PKK in 2007 have caused more than 200 Turkish casualties, not only soldiers but also civilians¹. He said although the European Union considers the PKK a terror organization, some EU countries have failed to act against the militants².

Without naming any European nations, Mr. Erdogan said some have captured PKK leaders and have then, through obscure means, repatriated³ them to Iraq. He asked how those countries would react if Turkey did the same with terror suspects those countries were seeking.

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said Rome will continue to cooperate with Ankara in the fight against terrorism. Mr. Prodi also praised Turkey for the moderation it has shown until now.

The two prime ministers also discussed the problems that need to be faced in the Balkans during the coming months and how to move forward with a common position on Kosovo. Mr. Prodi said they also addressed Turkey's efforts to join the European Union.

Mr. Prodi said he confirmed to his Turkish counterpart that Italy will continue to give Turkey its full support in its effort to become a full member of the European Union.

1 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。

2 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

3 repatriated   

v.把（某人）遣送回国，遣返( repatriate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The refugees were forcibly repatriated. 难民被强制遣送回国。
• Ancient artworks were repatriated from the US to Greece. 古代艺术品从美国遣送回希腊。 来自《简明英汉词典》