VOA标准英语2010年-Hill: Iraq 'Going in Right Direction'

Outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill said Tuesday that he thinks the country is on the right track despite sporadic¹ terrorist activity and a post-election political stalemate.  The senior U.S. diplomat², soon to retire, held a farewell press event at the State Department.

Hill's appearance came only hours after a Baghdad suicide bombing killed scores of aspiring³ military recruits and as leading Iraqi politicians continued to struggle to form a government five months after national elections.

But Hill, back in Washington after 16 months in the difficult Baghdad post, insisted that stability is increasing and that sectarian conflict is not making a resurgence⁴ in Iraq as the U.S. combat role ends.

"We have the right strategy in Iraq," he said.  "It's clearly going in the right direction.  I would have been much happier today if there was a new government formed.  I would be much happier if they were once again arguing with each other in the Council of Representatives.  But that day will come."

Although reports from Iraq said Tuesday's attack bore the hallmarks of al-Qaida in Iraq, Hill would not speculate on culpability⁵ for what he called a "horrific" act.

But he said the mainly Sunni Muslim faction⁶ no longer has the capability⁷ to attack and hold even a single building, and that heavy Sunni participation⁸ in the political process reflects its complete lack of popular support.

"I don't think there's much support at all.  On the contrary, there's a sort of general revulsion at their behavior.  I think what's important, and why we stress the idea of an inclusive government, while we stress the need to bring in Sunni, Shi'a and Kurds, and while we stress the need to build institutions, is precisely⁹ to forestall¹⁰ any reverse of the pattern I've just described," said Hill.

The U.S. envoy¹¹ said the post-election political impasse¹² has dragged on too long, generating public impatience¹³ along with concern among Iraqis about foreign meddling¹⁴ in the process, especially by neighboring Iran.

"Whatever role they're playing it's never helpful," he said.  "And the Iranians, it seems, they don't understand that in the long-run, if they want a good relationship with Iraq - and to put it mildly they've have had a very troubled relationship with Iraq - in the long run, if they want a better relationship, they're going to have to do a better job of respecting Iraq's sovereignty."

Hill, formerly¹⁵ Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and a key player in U.S. diplomacy¹⁶ with North Korea, will leave government service next month for an post at the University of Denver.  His successor at the Baghdad embassy will be veteran diplomat James Jeffrey, who, until last month, was the U.S. ambassador to Turkey.

 

1 sporadic   

adj.偶尔发生的 [反]regular；分散的

参考例句：

• The sound of sporadic shooting could still be heard.仍能听见零星的枪声。
• You know this better than I.I received only sporadic news about it.你们比我更清楚，而我听到的只是零星消息。

2 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

3 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

4 resurgence   

n.再起，复活，再现

参考例句：

• A resurgence of his grief swept over Nim.悲痛又涌上了尼姆的心头。
• Police say drugs traffickers are behind the resurgence of violence.警方说毒贩是暴力活动重新抬头的罪魁祸首。

5 culpability   

n.苛责，有罪

参考例句：

• As if the estrangement between them had come of any culpability of hers. 姐弟俩疏远的责任竟仿佛落到了她的身上！ 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• The offence, as now defined in English law, covers a wide spectrum of culpability. 英国法律规定，违法包括很多种过失行为。 来自互联网

6 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

7 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

8 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

9 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

10 forestall   

vt.抢在…之前采取行动；预先阻止

参考例句：

• I left the room to forestall involvements.我抢先离开了这房间以免受牵累。
• He followed this rule in order to forestall rumors.他遵守这条规矩是为了杜绝流言蜚语。

11 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

12 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

13 impatience   

n.不耐烦，急躁

参考例句：

• He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢，他显得不耐烦。
• He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。

14 meddling   

v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He denounced all "meddling" attempts to promote a negotiation. 他斥责了一切“干预”促成谈判的企图。 来自辞典例句
• They liked this field because it was never visited by meddling strangers. 她们喜欢这块田野，因为好事的陌生人从来不到那里去。 来自辞典例句

15 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

16 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。