VOA标准英语2009年-NATO Secretary-General Defends Alliance's

By Michael Bowman
Washington
29 September 2009

NATO's new secretary-general says the alliance remains¹ committed to the fight in Afghanistan, despite greater violence in the country and a rising death toll² among U.S. and NATO troops. Anders Fogh Rasmussen acknowledged that more resources will be needed to battle Taliban militants³ at a time when public support in many allied⁴ nations for continued operations in Afghanistan is waning⁵.

 
Anders Fogh Rasmussen (file photo)
In his first Washington address since assuming NATO leadership last month, Secretary-General Rasmussen said he understands America's desire to see its NATO allies commit more troops and resources to Afghanistan. But he defended the contributions already made in the eight-year campaign.

"I will not accept from anyone the argument that the Europeans and the Canadians are not paying the price for success in Afghanistan," said Anders Fogh Rasmussen. "They are. Afghanistan does not suggest that NATO is past its prime [outdated]. It proves just the opposite. The solidarity⁶ built up over 60 years is being strongly tested in Afghanistan. And it is holding up over years, despite casualties and setbacks."

Rasmussen noted⁷ that all 28 NATO members are taking part in the mission and that non-U.S. troop commitments have risen by 9,000 in 18 months. He responded directly to NATO critics in the United States, including some in Congress who have accused European governments of shirking responsibilities.

"Talking down the European and Canadian contributions, as some here in the United States do on occasion, can become a self-fulfilling prophecy," Rasmussen said. "If they do not feel as if their efforts and sacrifices in NATO are recognized and valued, they will be less inclined to make those efforts and those sacrifices. And that is not in anyone's interest."

The Netherlands and Canada have set schedules to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the Obama administration is conducting a strategic review of the mission in Afghanistan, after sending an additional 21,000 U.S. forces to the country. In a report that was leaked to the news media, the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan recently warned of mission failure unless more troops and resources are devoted⁸ to the effort.

Despite continuing challenges in Afghanistan, the NATO leader said the ongoing⁹ mission is indicative of NATO's continued relevance¹⁰. That point was echoed by U.S. Senator Richard Lugar.

"I do not believe that Afghanistan defines the success or failure of NATO," Lugar said. "I am impressed by the fact that a number of NATO nations have sent troops. They have stayed. And largely, I suspect, it is because of their feelings of alliance with the United States and with each other."

Even so, Secretary General Rasmussen said NATO cannot remain in Afghanistan indefinitely. He urged accelerated training and equipping of Afghan security forces, saying that, ultimately, the Afghan people must take the lead in stabilizing¹¹ their country.

1 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。

2 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

3 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。

4 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。

5 waning   

adj.（月亮）渐亏的，逐渐减弱或变小的n.月亏v.衰落( wane的现在分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡

参考例句：

• Her enthusiasm for the whole idea was waning rapidly. 她对整个想法的热情迅速冷淡了下来。
• The day is waning and the road is ending. 日暮途穷。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

7 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。

8 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

9 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

10 relevance   

n.中肯，适当，关联，相关性

参考例句：

• Politicians' private lives have no relevance to their public roles.政治家的私生活与他们的公众角色不相关。
• Her ideas have lost all relevance to the modern world.她的想法与现代社会完全脱节。

11 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