VOA标准英语2008年-Afghanistan, Pakistan Urge Cooperation on Fight

Afghanistan and Pakistan are urging each other to do more to stop terrorism, blaming each other for violence in their countries during a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday. From United Nation's headquarters in New York, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more.
　
Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta, 9 Jul 2008

Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta said terrorism has been on the rise in his country, as al-Qaida and the Taliban and their backers try to sabotage¹ the peace process there. He also looked across the border to Pakistan, saying a truce² in tribal³ areas is also contributing to his country's worsening security situation. "One of the main factors contributing to the deterioration⁴ of the security situation in the country is the de facto truce in the tribal areas beyond the border," he said.

He said the terrorists are sustained by a complex set of networks and infrastructure⁵ that cannot be defeated by military operations inside Afghanistan alone.

But Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi brushed aside the possibility of Afghan or other foreign forces entering his country to help eradicate⁶ terror networks. "Pakistan will not allow its territory to be used against other countries. However, no foreign troops will be allowed to operate inside Pakistan," he said.

But both diplomats⁷ agreed that terrorist networks constitute a common threat to both their countries, and urged each other to cooperate more to eliminate them, saying peace and stability are in their vital interests.

Their comments before the Security Council debate on Afghanistan come just two days after the latest suicide bombing in Afghanistan - this one outside the Indian embassy in Kabul. The blast killed more than 40 people and injured scores more. Afghan officials had suggested that Pakistan's government was involved, a charge Islamabad has denied.

 

1 sabotage   

n.怠工，破坏活动，破坏；v.从事破坏活动，妨害，破坏

参考例句：

• They tried to sabotage my birthday party.他们企图破坏我的生日晚会。
• The fire at the factory was caused by sabotage.那家工厂的火灾是有人蓄意破坏引起的。

2 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。

3 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

4 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。

5 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

6 eradicate   

v.根除，消灭，杜绝

参考例句：

• These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
• They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。

7 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》