VOA标准英语2009-UK Opens Wide-Ranging Iraq War Inquiry

Government appointed panel began its first public hearings in London in an inquiry¹ expected to last until the end of 2010 and possibly beyond. Its mission is to examine Britain's role in the Iraq war and its aftermath

Sonja Pace | London 24 November 2009

 
A British soldier takes position following a road side bomb which detonated as a British patrol rolled by in the southern city of Basra, Iraq (File)

Britain has opened a long awaited, wide-ranging inquiry into the government's involvement in the Iraq war, vowing² to be thorough and fair and not shy away from criticizing individuals or institutions if warranted.

The government appointed five-member panel began its first public hearings in London in an inquiry expected to last until the end of 2010 and possibly beyond. Its mission is to examine Britain's role in the run-up to the start of the Iraq war in 2003 through the conflict and its aftermath.

Inquiry chairman, John Chilcot opened the hearings with a moment of silence for those who died in the conflict. 

John Chilcot, chairman of the Iraq Inquiry (File)

He then said the panel would examine documents, hear testimony³ and try to evaluate what happened, what went well, what went wrong and why.

Chilcot sought to counter criticism that his committee might be biased⁴ and its report would be a whitewash⁵.

"We are apolitical, we are independent of any political party and we want to examine and rely on the evidence.  We will approach our task in a way that is thorough, rigorous, fair and frank," he said.

Then British Prime Minister Tony Blair sent over 45,000 troops to Iraq in 2003 to help topple Saddam Hussein. 179 British military personnel were killed in the conflict. Britain's involvement in the war was deeply unpopular at home and there were allegations the government had distorted intelligence to justify⁶ the war.

There have been two previous investigations⁷ into British involvement, but more limited in scope. One 2004 inquiry into the intelligence used to justify the war cleared government ministers of wrongdoing, but criticized the intelligence used.

The Chilcot inquiry will examine reams of documents, call witnesses for public and private testimony, including military, government and intelligence officials. It is expected to also seek evidence from former US White House officials.

Chilcot promised a thorough inquiry but said there were limits since the panel is not a court of law.

"No one's on trial here, we cannot determine guilt⁸ or innocence⁹ - only courts can do that.  But, I make a commitment here that once we get to our final report, we will not shy away from making criticisms either of institutions, or processes or individuals wherever they are truly warranted," he added.

Among those due to appear before the inquiry panel is former Prime Minister Blair.  The inquiry is expected to publish a report of its findings by the end of 2010, or possibly even in 2011.

1 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

2 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。

3 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

4 biased   

a.有偏见的

参考例句：

• a school biased towards music and art 一所偏重音乐和艺术的学校
• The Methods: They employed were heavily biased in the gentry's favour. 他们采用的方法严重偏袒中上阶级。

5 whitewash   

v.粉刷，掩饰；n.石灰水，粉刷，掩饰

参考例句：

• They tried hard to whitewash themselves.他们力图粉饰自己。
• What he said was a load of whitewash.他所说的是一大堆粉饰之词。

6 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

7 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

8 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

9 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。