VOA标准英语2010年-Petraeus Accepts Some Pakistani Deals

The commander of U.S. forces in Central Asia and the Middle East, General Petraeus indicated the United States would not object to new agreements as long as they do not involve tribes or local leaders who have worked with the terrorists.

Al Pessin | Washington 21 January 2010

Gen. David Petraeus, Commander, U.S. Central Command, addresses the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, 21 Jan 2010

The commander of U.S. forces in Central Asia and the Middle East, General David Petraeus, says Pakistan will likely have to make some deals with tribes along its border with Afghanistan in an effort to consolidate¹ gains its military forces have made, but can not sustain on their own.  Such deals have failed in the past, and U.S. officials have been skeptical² of new ones. 

Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, General Petraeus praised Pakistan's recent military operations against terrorist groups in the semi-autonomous tribal³ areas along the border.  But he says the Pakistani military is reaching the limit of its capacity.

"The challenge is, of course, the limited assets that the government can support them with and that the military has access to, to do the rebuilding and to do the preparation for transitioning, even as they are working on holding with the military forces," said General Petraeus.

General Petraeus says in order to free up forces for further operations, Pakistan will have to make some agreements with local tribes to keep the terrorists out of their areas.

"They are going to have to figure out how to hold some of these areas through agreements with tribal elements, not necessarily those that have signed on in the past with the Pakistani Taliban, but that is going to be the way ahead, I think," he said.

Agreements with tribes have backfired in the past, providing the Taliban, al-Qaida and other groups with safe havens⁴.  But General Petraeus indicated the United States would not object to new agreements as long as they do not involve tribes or local leaders who have worked with the terrorists. 

The general also said it is important for the United States to demonstrate its commitment to working with Pakistan for the long term as a reliable partner, something it has not always done in the past.  That is the same theme expressed by U.S. Defense⁵ Secretary Robert Gates during a visit to Islamabad.

"We are in this for the long haul, and intend to continue to be a partner of theirs for far into the future," he said.  "I think that is the core message that I am bringing with me."

Secretary Gates said he is "very comfortable" with the relationships between U.S. and Pakistani leaders and the partnership⁶ they have fighting extremists who, he said, threaten both countries.

The United States has been encouraging Pakistan to press the fight against Taliban and al-Qaida militants⁷ in the tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan, but a top Pakistani Army official said Thursday that the military will need time to consolidate recent gains before it can launch any new offensives.

1 consolidate   

v.使加固，使加强；(把...)联为一体，合并

参考例句：

• The two banks will consolidate in July next year. 这两家银行明年7月将合并。
• The government hoped to consolidate ten states to form three new ones.政府希望把十个州合并成三个新的州。

2 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

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 havens   

n.港口，安全地方( haven的名词复数 )v.港口，安全地方( haven的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Your twenty havens would back out at the last minute anyhow. 你那二十个避难所到了最后一分钟也要不认帐。 来自辞典例句
• Using offshore havens to avoid taxes and investor protections. 使用海面的港口避免税和投资者保护。 来自互联网

5 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。

6 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

7 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。