VOA标准英语2008年-Iraqi Government, Al-Sadr Movement Agree to Cea

By Suzanne Presto¹
Irbil
10 May 2008

Spokesmen for the Iraqi government and the movement of radical² Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr say the two sides agreed to a truce³ Saturday to end weeks of fighting in Baghdad's Sadr City.  Hundreds of people have been killed in clashes between militants⁴ and government forces there since fighting intensified⁵ in late March. VOA's Suzanne Presto has more from the northern city of Irbil.

An aide to cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, Sheikh Salah al-Obeidi, says the cease-fire in eastern Baghdad's Sadr City will go into effect on Sunday. 

According to the deal struck between the government's United Iraqi Alliance and the Sadrist movement, militants belonging to the Mahdi Army will not engage in further fighting with Iraqi and coalition⁶ troops in Sadr City. 
  
In an interview on Iraqi news, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said this cease-fire applies only to Sadr City.  He says militants there must put away their weapons for their own safety and that of the area's citizens. 

He says the first thing will be to stop any shooting and to remove bombs on the roads.  He says if any person holds a weapon, he will be targeted by the security forces.

Dabbagh said that private courts operating in Sadr City outside of the Ministry⁷ of Justice must immediately stop their operations.  He emphasized that only the government has the authority to provide protection or to enforce laws.

Dabbagh added that the military will go through official channels to detain people he deemed to be "outlaws⁸."

He said the government will control checkpoints around Sadr City, but the area will not be cordoned⁹ off entirely¹⁰. 

Sadr's movement had called on the government to stop random¹¹ raids against al-Sadr's followers¹² and to open roads that lead to the city.

Dabbagh is also calling on all groups to cooperate to improve security for the sake of Iraqi citizens. 

He says providing people with security and a suitable calm is the Iraqi government's main aim, and he says he is certain that members of al-Sadr's group feel the responsibility for this belongs to them, as well.
 
He added that militants loyal to cleric Moqtada al-Sadr now acknowledge that they cannot be permitted to act outside of the government. 

Dabbagh says everyone agrees that the security responsibility belongs to the government and the government only, not to militia¹³ or armed groups.

Dabbagh says if the truce is successful in Sadr City, the government will attempt to extend it to other regions where fighting rages.

Elsewhere, in the northern city of Mosul, Iraqi military forces, backed by Coalition troops, are beginning a new phase of their campaign against al-Qaida in Iraq there.

The military has closed off main roads leading to Mosul to prevent militants from smuggling¹⁴ weapons and car bombs into the city.

1 presto   

adv.急速地；n.急板乐段；adj.急板的

参考例句：

• With something so important,you can't just wave a wand and presto!在这么重大的问题上，你想挥动一下指挥棒，转眼就变过来,办不到！
• I just turned the piece of wire in the lock and hey presto,the door opened.我把金属丝伸到锁孔里一拧，嘿，那门就开了。

2 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

3 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

4 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。

5 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》

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 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

8 outlaws   

歹徒，亡命之徒( outlaw的名词复数 )； 逃犯

参考例句：

• During his year in the forest, Robin met many other outlaws. 在森林里的一年，罗宾遇见其他许多绿林大盗。
• I didn't have to leave the country or fight outlaws. 我不必离开自己的国家，也不必与不法分子斗争。

9 cordoned   

v.封锁，用警戒线围住( cordon的过去式 )

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the area until the bomb was defused. 警方封锁了这个地区直到炸弹被拆除为止。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

11 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

12 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

13 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

14 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。