VOA常速英语2008年-US Defense Secretary Calls on Europeans to Supp

By Al Pessin
10 February 2008

U.S. Defense¹ Secretary Robert Gates called on Europeans Sunday to support NATO's mission in Afghanistan, which he described as an effort to help "a war-devastated people" create a free society, just as the alliance did for many European countries 60 years ago. VOA's Al Pessin reports from Munich.

Secretary Gates used his speech at the annual European Security Conference here to speak directly to Europeans, many of whom he acknowledged reject his call for more NATO troops for Afghanistan. He said although Afghanistan is far from Europe, the mission is in keeping with NATO's traditional support for people seeking freedom and prosperity, and also an important part of the effort to end international terrorism by Islamic extremists.

Gates said, "The threat posed by violent Islamic extremism is real - and it is not going to go away. You know all too well about the attacks in Madrid and London. But there have also been multiple smaller attacks in Istanbul, Amsterdam, Paris, and Glasgow, among others. Numerous cells and plots have been disrupted in recent years as well - many of them seeking large-scale death and destruction."

Secretary Gates has said some Europeans oppose the war in Afghanistan because they link it to the war in Iraq. But he said Sunday they should remember that major terrorist attacks were engineered in Afghanistan, and that that could happen again if the country is not set firmly on the road to stability. He said European support for the war in Afghanistan is "weak" because many Europeans "may not comprehend the magnitude of the direct threat" instability in Afghanistan could pose to Europe.

Secretary Gates said, "Imagine if Islamic terrorists had managed to strike your capitals on the same scale as they struck in New York. Imagine if they had laid their hands on weapons and materials with even greater destructive capability² - weapons of the sort all too easily accessible in the world today. We forget at our peril³ that the ambition of Islamic extremists is limited only by opportunity."

Secretary Gates urged Europeans to "find the resolve" to confront today's challenge to freedom, just as earlier generations did.

The secretary said a NATO defeat in Afghanistan would worsen what he called the "cancer" of Islamic extremism, and he said he sees the Afghanistan mission as a test of NATO's credibility. "We must not - we cannot - become a two-tiered Alliance of those who are willing to fight and those who are not. Such a development, with all its implications for collective security, would effectively destroy the Alliance. In NATO, some allies ought not to have the luxury of opting⁴ only for stability and civilian⁵ operations, thus forcing other Allies to bear a disproportionate share of the fighting and the dying."

Secretary Gates also said a five-year strategy document for Afghanistan that NATO officials are now drafting should lay out "realistic" goals and a "roadmap" for achieving them. The document will be considered by NATO leaders at their summit in Romania in April.

1 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。

2 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

3 peril   

n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物

参考例句：

• The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
• The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

4 opting   

v.选择，挑选( opt的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• What courses are most students opting for? 多数学生选什么课程？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Wells doesn't rule out opting out and then re-signing with Houston. 威尔斯没有排除跳出合同再与火箭重签的可能。 来自互联网

5 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。