2007年VOA标准英语-Iraqi President: Sectarian Factions Beginning t

By Jim Randle
Irbil, Iraq
07 September 2007

Recent reports to the U.S. Congress about the situation in Iraq point to limited success by the Iraqi government in establishing security but continuing problems in bringing about political reconciliation¹. As VOA's Jim Randle reports from Irbil, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani says he believes the various sectarian factions² are starting to work together.

Recent reports by U.S. experts say Iraq's government has been stymied³ by bickering⁴ and walkouts, impeding⁵ the progress necessary for political reconcilation and an end to the four-year-old war.

Jalal Talabani (file photo)

Despite the reports, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani is upbeat in his assessment⁶ of progress in bringing Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds closer to political reconciliation.

Iraq's president told journalists in Sulaimaniya that Iraqis are making progress toward reconciling the various political groups. Mr. Talabani said this is good for Iraq's future. As far as the walkout by many members of Iraq's cabinet, he called that a normal part of the game of politics in a democracy.

Mr. Talabani's remarks come days before the top American military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, give a crucial report to President Bush and the U.S. Congress on progress and problems in the country.

That assessment will help guide decisions on whether to maintain or reduce current U.S. troop levels.

While President Talabani is striking an optimistic note, analyst⁷ Brian Katulis of the Center for American Progress says the country has been in the process of "political fragmentation."

"A lot of the forces that were elected in 2005 were elected by forces that did not support a strong center," he said. "In many ways there's fundamental disagreement among Iraq's leaders about what the country is and what it should be."

In a just-published report, the International Crisis Group says the situation in Iraq became even more unstable⁸ during August. It called the country ungoverned and violent, and noted⁹ that the recent bombings in Yazidi villages in northern Iraq that killed about 500 people were the deadliest attack since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

The group's Joost Hiltermann says Iraq's bickering factions are not likely to resolve their differences.

"We recommended that we move to a different level, that we move to the regional level and that there be real engagement between Iraq's neighboring states, and those states and the United States," he said.

Hiltermann says those talks should include direct discussions between Washington and Iran and Syria. The United States has strained relations with Syria and accuses Iran of supplying weapons to insurgents¹⁰ in Iraq who have attacked U.S. forces.

It is unclear what General Petraeus will tell Congress when he testifies next week. Some reports say he may recommend a gradual reduction of a small number of U.S. troops beginning next spring.

There are currently 168,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, including 30,000 that were deployed¹¹ for the "surge" aimed at stabilizing¹² Baghdad and restive¹³ al-Anbar province.

1 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

2 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

3 stymied   

n.被侵袭的v.妨碍，阻挠( stymie的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Relief efforts have been stymied in recent weeks by armed gunmen. 最近几周的救援工作一直受到武装分子的阻挠。 来自辞典例句
• I was completely stymied by her refusal to help. 由于她拒不相助， 我完全陷入了困境。 来自互联网

4 bickering   

v.争吵( bicker的现在分词 )；口角；（水等）作潺潺声；闪烁

参考例句：

• The children are always bickering about something or other. 孩子们有事没事总是在争吵。
• The two children were always bickering with each other over small matters. 这两个孩子总是为些小事斗嘴。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 impeding   

a.(尤指坏事)即将发生的，临近的

参考例句：

• Fallen rock is impeding the progress of rescue workers. 坠落的石头阻滞了救援人员的救援进程。
• Is there sufficient room for the kiosk and kiosk traffic without impeding other user traffic? 该环境下是否有足够的空间来摆放信息亭？信息亭是否会妨碍交通或者行走？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

6 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

7 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

8 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

9 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。

10 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

11 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。

12 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句

13 restive   

adj.不安宁的，不安静的

参考例句：

• The government has done nothing to ease restrictions and manufacturers are growing restive.政府未采取任何措施放松出口限制,因此国内制造商变得焦虑不安。
• The audience grew restive.观众变得不耐烦了。