VOA标准英语2009年-Gates: US Effort Not On Hold During Afghan

By Al Pessin
Aboard US Military Aircraft Over Pacific Ocean
20 October 2009

 
US Defense¹ Secretary Robert Gates
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the United States and its allies must work with whatever Afghan government emerges from last month's disputed election, offering a somewhat different view than the White House Chief of Staff expressed on Sunday.

Secretary Gates told reporters on the plane that U.S. and NATO decisions about strategy and troop deployments do not have to wait until the new Afghan government takes office, which could be several months.

"I think these things can move in parallel. Obviously, it would be easier if these things had come out in a different way, and been conducted without the kind of irregularities that have been identified," Gates noted³, "and if all had been clear-cut early in September. But we just have to work with the situation that we find, as far as I'm concerned."

The secretary's comments are somewhat different from those of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. On Sunday, Emanuel said the main question now is whether there will be a credible⁴ Afghan government to help provide security and government services, if foreign troops are able to reverse recent Taliban gains. In addition, prominent Democratic Party Senator John Kerry, who was visiting Afghanistan, said Sunday that it would be "premature⁵" to deploy² more troops without political stability in Afghanistan.

But Secretary Gates has a different view, saying the political problems in Afghanistan go beyond allegations of fraud in the election, and include widespread corruption⁶. He said the coalition⁷ will have a lot of work to do to help build the legitimacy⁸ of the next Afghan government, regardless of who leads it.

"Whatever emerges in Kabul is going to be an evolutionary⁹ process," Gates said. "The outcome of the election and problems with the election have complicated the situation for us. But the reality is, it's not going to be complicated one day and simple the next. What we will have to do is, we and our international partners, work with the Afghan government in building legitimacy and in helping¹⁰ them tackle the problem of corruption."

Secretary Gates also stressed that U.S., NATO and coalition forces are not simply awaiting the outcome of the election dispute or the Obama administration's strategy review. He said the United States has deployed¹¹ nearly all 68,000 troops President Obama has authorized¹², in addition to almost 40,000 allied¹³ forces. And he says they are actively¹⁴ pursuing operations designed to improve security for whatever new Afghan government is sworn into office.

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 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

4 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

5 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

6 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

7 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。

8 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

9 evolutionary   

adj.进化的；演化的，演变的；[生]进化论的

参考例句：

• Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
• These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。

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 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

12 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

13 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

14 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。