VOA标准英语2008年-Iraq PM Proposes Short-Term Security Deal With

Iraq's prime minister is considering alternatives to a long term security deal that would define U.S. troops' presence in Iraq beyond 2008. VOA's Suzanne Presto¹ reports from the northern city of Irbil.

The Iraqi government and the United States have been negotiating an agreement to keep U.S. troops in the country after their United Nations mandate² expires at the end of this year.
　
Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, 05 Jul 2008

But the negotiations³ have been contentious⁴. In mid-June, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said the talks had stalled due to concerns about compromising Iraqi sovereignty.

One week later, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, a member of Iraq's negotiating team, said it would be possible to reach a security deal by the end of this month.

The Iraqi government now says it is looking at alternatives to a long-term security deal.

While visiting the United Arab Emirates, Mr. Maliki told Arab ambassadors his government is considering a Memorandum⁵ of Understanding, known as an M.O.U. He said this could include a timetable for the withdrawal⁶ of foreign forces from Iraq.

Iraqi Government Spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh emphasized that pursuing a Memorandum of Understanding is simply a proposed idea. He told VOA that nothing has been done on this subject and no M.O.U. has been drafted.

President Bush has repeatedly said he opposes setting a timetable to remove U.S. troops from Iraq.
　
Pentagon spokesman Brian Whitman (file photo)

A U.S. Department of Defense⁷ spokesman, Bryan Whitman, reiterated⁸ that point. He said decisions about troop levels should be determined⁹ by the security situation in Iraq. He also said the United States has no desire to have its forces permanently¹⁰ stationed in the country.

"Timelines tend to be artificial in nature and in a situation where things are as dynamic as they are in Iraq, I would just tell you that it is usually best to look at these things based on the conditions on the ground," said Bryan Whitman.

Whitman said U.S. and Iraqi officials remain hard at work to strike a deal to keep U.S. troops in Iraq beyond 2008.

"We are working diligently¹¹ with the Iraqi government to ensure that when the U.N. mandate expires that there are the appropriate provisions for our forces to be able to operate," he said.

Whitman added he saw little value in trying to give progress reports about the status of negotiations, saying it was best to wait until the agreement is finalized¹².

U.S. officials, including U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, say any security agreement reached will fully¹³ respect Iraqi sovereignty.

 

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 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

3 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

4 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

5 memorandum   

n.备忘录，便笺

参考例句：

• The memorandum was dated 23 August,2008.备忘录上注明的日期是2008年8月23日。
• The Secretary notes down the date of the meeting in her memorandum book.秘书把会议日期都写在记事本上。

6 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

7 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。

8 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

9 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

10 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

11 diligently   

ad.industriously;carefully

参考例句：

• He applied himself diligently to learning French. 他孜孜不倦地学法语。
• He had studied diligently at college. 他在大学里勤奋学习。

12 finalized   

vt.完成（finalize的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The draft of this article has been finalized [done]. 这篇文章已经定稿。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The draft was revised several times before it was finalized. 稿子几经删改才定下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。