VOA常速英语2007年-Rice Welcomes Musharraf's Pledges, Calls for Li

By Paula Wolfson
Washington
11 November 2007

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has welcomed Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's promise to hold elections by early January and give up his military post.  But in a nationally broadcast interview, she warned that the state of emergency he imposed on the country must end.  VOA's Paula Wolfson has details.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the promises made Sunday by President Musharraf are welcome.

"My reaction is that the positive element here is that elections are going to be held and held very soon," Rice said. "And also that the president said he was going to take off his uniform.  These have both been essential to getting Pakistan back on a democratic path."

But at the same time, she stresses more must be done.

"Obviously, we are also encouraging that the state of emergency has got to be lifted and lifted as soon as possible," Rice said.

During an appearance on the ABC television program This Week, Rice rebutted² criticism that the Bush administration has been too soft on President Musharraf.  She said Pakistan is an ally and friend that is going through extraordinarily³ difficult circumstances.  She said the proper role for the United States is to counsel and persuade.  And she stressed that as troubling as things seem right now, Pakistan has come far since 1999, when Pervez Musharraf came to power in a military coup⁴.

"This is not a perfect situation," Rice said. "Pakistan is a country that has a come a long way from 1999, and the military coup has come a long way from 2001 when it pledged to root out extremism.  But it is not a perfect situation and nobody would suggest that it is."

Some members of the U.S. Congress have been calling for the Pakistani president to step down.   But Rice said the focus should not be on one individual, but on the need for free and fair elections.

She said the Bush administration remains⁵ in close contact with President Musharraf.  So too is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Democrat¹ Joseph Biden of Delaware.

Senator Biden - who is seeking his party's 2008 presidential nomination⁶ - told CNN's Late Edition that he recently talked to Pervez Musharraf.  

"Musharraf called me about six days ago," he aid. "I had a long conversation with him.  He indicated to me the elections would go off within the 60 day time frame and he would take off his uniform and as soon as possible before the election date, the state of emergency would be lifted."

Biden went on to stress that lifting the state of emergency is crucial.  He said without that step, there is little hope for the kind of accommodation and power sharing necessary for democracy to flourish in Pakistan. 

1 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

2 rebutted   

v.反驳，驳回( rebut的过去式和过去分词 )；击退

参考例句：

• Has Mr. Chiang or any member of his party ever rebutted this? 蒋先生及其党人曾经对这话提出过任何驳斥吗？ 来自互联网
• He rebutted the argument of the other team in a debate. 他在辩论会中反驳对方的论点。 来自互联网

3 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

4 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。