2007年VOA标准英语-US Envoy Presses Pakistan on Open Elections

By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
16 August 2007

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher reaffirmed Washington's support for Pakistan's embattled President General Pervez Musharraf during a visit to Islamabad Thursday. The visit comes amid mounting concerns over Pakistan's political stability and Mr. Musharraf's future ahead of national elections expected later this year. VOA correspondent Benjamin Sand reports from Islamabad.

Richard Boucher shakes hands with Pakistan's Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao in Islamabad, 16 Aug 2007

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Richard Boucher underscored U.S. interest in the coming elections and democratic reform in Pakistan.

"We want to see a transition in Pakistan that leads to a government the people have voted for, that leads to a stable political situation that is a good solid base on which to deal with the problems of extremism," he said.

He said the United States would continue to help Pakistan president General Pervez Musharraf organize free and fair elections.

Mr. Musharraf is seeking another five years in office, a move that has already provoked widespread opposition¹.

joint2 peace meeting in Kabul, Afghanistan, 12 Aug 2007  " hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070818/0943171.jpg" width="207" vspace="2" border="0" />

Pakistan's President Gen. Pervez Musharraf delivers a speech at a joint peace meeting in Kabul, Afghanistan, 12 Aug 2007

The U.S.-backed president seized power through a military coup³ in 1999. He continues to serve as both president and army chief, a dual⁴ role his opponents insist is unconstitutional and are vowing⁵ to challenge in court.

 

There are reports the United States is supporting a potential alliance between Mr. Musharraf and his main political rival, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

When asked about any possible U.S. involvement in a deal, Boucher insisted Washington is only interested in promoting open elections in Pakistan.

"We have supported that interest without favor, without leaning toward any particular party and that's what we will continue to do," he said.

This is Boucher's fourth trip to Pakistan this year. On some of those trips, he was accompanying Vice⁶ President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as they visited Pakistan.

 

Pakistan is a key ally in the U.S.-led war against terror and has been since September 2001.

Boucher described the relationship as "fundamental and strategic" and said it continues to benefit both countries. But bilateral⁷ ties have come under increasing strain in recent months.

U.S. officials say Pakistan must do more to crack down on pro-Taleban and al-Qaida militants⁸ operating in Pakistan's tribal⁹ areas near Afghanistan.

American intelligence sources say extremists have established safe havens¹⁰ in those remote areas.

Several U.S. presidential candidates have suggested Washington should consider unilateral military strikes in the region if Pakistan fails to act.

But Boucher said official U.S. policy remains¹¹ unchanged.

"We are partners, we act together. If either one of us had actionable intelligence on threats, we would work together… and beyond that I'm not going to speculate," he said.

Pakistan has deployed¹² some 90,000 troops to the volatile¹³ border region. But the violence there has intensified¹⁴ in recent weeks with militants vowing to overthrow¹⁵ the government.

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

3 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。

4 dual   

adj.双的；二重的，二元的

参考例句：

• The people's Republic of China does not recognize dual nationality for any Chinese national.中华人民共和国不承认中国公民具有双重国籍。
• He has dual role as composer and conductor.他兼作曲家及指挥的双重身分。

5 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。

6 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。

7 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

8 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。

9 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

10 havens   

n.港口，安全地方( haven的名词复数 )v.港口，安全地方( haven的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Your twenty havens would back out at the last minute anyhow. 你那二十个避难所到了最后一分钟也要不认帐。 来自辞典例句
• Using offshore havens to avoid taxes and investor protections. 使用海面的港口避免税和投资者保护。 来自互联网

11 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。

12 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

13 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。

14 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。