VOA常速英语2008年-Rice, Britain's Miliband Note Progress in Afgha

By Meredith Buel
Islamabad
07 February 2008

 

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the people of Afghanistan are turning against the Taliban insurgency¹, which she calls morally bankrupt and brutal². Secretary Rice made the comments during an unannounced trip to Afghanistan and VOA Correspondent Meredith Buel has details from Islamabad.

Secretary Rice and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband visited Afghanistan's volatile³ Kandahar province, a former stronghold of the Taliban.

The two top diplomats⁴ met with NATO commanders and troops who are on the front line of the fight against the Taliban.

The pair then traveled to the Afghan capital for a meeting with President Hamid Karzai.

The United States and Britain are urging other NATO members to share more of the combat burden in southern Afghanistan where the Taliban insurgency is strongest.

U.S. Defense⁵ Secretary Robert Gates told reporters in Europe today that he is disappointed some NATO members have not sent combat troops to Afghanistan, but he doesn't think there is a risk of failure.

While Rice told reporters she hopes NATO countries will supply more troops for Afghanistan, she says the coalition⁶ forces are meeting the challenge of defeating the Taliban.

"NATO and the coalition forces met the challenge of Taliban forces trying to come in large formations and they have turned to tactics that unfortunately are aimed at the most helpless and innocent people," said Rice. "What that says to me, not only are they dangerous, but they are morally bankrupt and they are brutal and the people of Afghanistan are the ones who are turning against that kind of barbarity."

Secretary Rice says she believes the counter-insurgency strategy in Afghanistan is having a positive impact, but the work is not complete.

President Karzai praised the NATO countries that have troops in Afghanistan.

"Now if all the members could contribute more we would be very, very happy, but I will leave the decisions on troop levels and all that to the military men within NATO," he said.

All three leaders endorsed⁷ the idea of a special U.N. envoy⁸ for Afghanistan to coordinate⁹ the work of the countries involved in helping¹⁰ to rebuild the country.

British Foreign Secretary Miliband says such an envoy needs to be appointed soon.

"We also want to see a strong, effective international coordinator¹¹ in place, sooner rather than later, commanding the confidence of the U.N. and of the Afghan government," he said. "That is something that is very much at the heart of the idea that the international community has responsibilities that it has to fulfill¹² in the most effective way."

More than six years after the U.S.-led coalition and Afghan forces toppled the Taliban, the Islamist militia's resurgence¹³ has led to a major increase in violence.

More than 6,000 people, mostly insurgents¹⁴, died in fighting in Afghanistan last year.

1 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

2 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

3 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。

4 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

7 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

9 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。

10 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

11 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

12 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

13 resurgence   

n.再起，复活，再现

参考例句：

• A resurgence of his grief swept over Nim.悲痛又涌上了尼姆的心头。
• Police say drugs traffickers are behind the resurgence of violence.警方说毒贩是暴力活动重新抬头的罪魁祸首。

14 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