欧洲－英国拒绝提前从伊拉克撤军

（单词翻译）

Britain Rejects Early Pullout from Iraq

British Foreign Secretary Jack¹ Straw says it would be "utterly² irresponsible" to remove the U.S.-led multinational³ force from Iraq while work remains⁴ to train Iraqi security forces and reconstruct the war-ravaged country.

Mr. Straw made a statement in Parliament on the Iraq elections, in which he praised the determination of Iraqis to vote, despite the threats from Islamic militants⁶.

Jack Straw: In Sunni areas in central Iraq, large groups of people defied terrorist intimidation⁷, and walked several kilometers to polling stations to cast their votes. These elections were a moving demonstration⁸ that democracy and freedom are universal values to which people everywhere aspire⁹.

Mr. Straw also rejected calls from anti-war lawmakers that Britain set a timetable to pull its troops out of Iraq.

Jack Straw: It would be utterly irresponsible for this House or this government to make a premature¹⁰ decision about the withdrawal¹¹ of British or other forces. It is for the Iraqis themselves to make that judgment¹². If the Iraqi government today wanted to say that our mandate¹³ had ended, we would leave tomorrow. But they understand fully¹⁴ that, without foreign forces on their soil for a period, they cannot rebuild their country and create the freedom and security and democracy that they all so desperately¹⁵ need.

In a related development, the Iraqi ambassador to Britain, Salah al-Shaikhly, told reporters Iraq needs support from the international military coalition¹⁶, while it trains its own security forces. He also praised Iraqi voters for braving the terrorist threats.

Salah al-Shaikhly: All in all, I believe it was a day of triumph for the Iraqis. And I'm so glad to say that the voters have silenced the voices of doom¹⁷ and gloom, the prophets of misery¹⁸, who were forecasting all sorts of destruction and mayhem in the country.

Meanwhile, the British Defense¹⁹ Ministry²⁰ says nine airmen and one soldier are missing and presumed killed in the crash late Sunday of a military transport plane northwest of Baghdad.

A militant⁵ group, called Ansar al-Islam, claims it shot the plane down with an anti-tank missile. Britain says the cause of the crash remains under investigation²¹.

Michael Drudge²², VOA news, London.

注释：

war-ravaged 被战争蹂躏的

Sunni [5suni:] n. 伊斯兰逊尼派

intimidation [in7timi5deiFEn] 胁迫

aspire [Es5paiE] vi. 热望

premature [7premE5tjuE] adj. 未成熟的

mandate [5mAndeit] n. 要求，委任托管，委任统治

desperately [5despEritli] adv. 拼命地，强烈地

triumph [5traiEmf] n. 胜利，成功

mayhem [5meihem] n. 故意的伤害罪行

Ansar al-Islam 伊斯兰辅助者组织