VOA标准英语2009年-Pakistani, Afghan Diplomats to Meet With US Off

The foreign ministers of Pakistan and Afghanistan are scheduled to take part in the Obama administration's strategic review of South Asia policy here in Washington this week. The three-party talks come on the heels of a peace agreement between Islamabad and Taliban elements that allows for the implementation¹ of Islamic law in Pakistan's Swat Valley.

Prior to leaving for Washington, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said he believes he can allay² U.S. concerns over the agreement that allows Islamic law in the Swat Valley.

Last week, the U.S. special representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, said he had conveyed American concerns to Pakistani authorities. Holbrooke, who recently toured the region, said Pakistan's President Ali Zardari sought to assure him that the agreement is an "interim³" measure aimed at stabilizing⁴ the region. Holbrooke said the Pakistani leader agrees that the militants⁵ in the region pose a danger not only to Pakistan, but also to the United States.

NATO has also expressed concern about the agreement, saying it could create a safe haven⁶ for extremists. Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has praised the agreement, saying it is in line with his government's policy of dialogue, development and deterrence⁷.

On Sunday, Pakistani Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas defended Islamabad's decision to negotiate with the militants.

"One must allow these strategies to work to achieve the end goal. The end goal remains⁸ the same - the return of peace, tranquility in the [Swat] Valley. That is the end goal," he said. "If it is not being achieved or if it or if it is being achieved at a very heavy cost, which is politically not sustainable, then the government must look for other options. Should the other options not work, the use of force option is always there. The military is not being pulled out of the valley, it is still there. The option would remain available to the government."

Abbas added that the Pakistani military effort in the northwest Swat region is hampered⁹ by a lack of what he called "sophisticated" equipment, including attack helicopters and surveillance equipment.

U.S. State Department Spokesman Gordon Duguid said last week that Washington is not surprised by the agreement between the militants and the Pakistani government.

"These types of deals have happened before. The direction of events in the Swat Valley is not going in a positive way. What we do want to see is results. We have spoken to the Pakistanis. The ambassador [Richard Holbrooke] has spoken to the Pakistanis. They understand that the threat of terrorism is a threat to them as well as to us," said Duguid. "What we're working toward is a way in which we can all address this common problem. That is part of our review. That is part of what we'll be talking to the Pakistanis about when the delegation¹⁰ arrives here."

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Afghan counterpart, Rangeen Dadfar Spanta, are scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and members of a U.S. policy review panel this week. The panel is tasked with developing proposals on how to improve the security situation in Afghanistan. The proposals that emerge are expected to be shared with U.S. allies in the region.

1 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

2 allay   

v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等)

参考例句：

• The police tried to allay her fears but failed.警察力图减轻她的恐惧，但是没有收到什么效果。
• They are trying to allay public fears about the spread of the disease.他们正竭力减轻公众对这种疾病传播的恐惧。

3 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

4 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句

5 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。

6 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

7 deterrence   

威慑，制止； 制止物，制止因素； 挽留的事物； 核威慑

参考例句：

• An extreme school of "disarmers" pronounced stable deterrence was a dangerous deception. “裁军论者”中的极端派声称，稳定的威摄是一种危险的骗局。
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

10 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。