VOA标准英语2009年-Obama, NATO Chief Agree on Afghanistan Str

By Kent Klein
White House
29 September 2009

 
President Barack Obama (right) and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at White House, 29 Sep 2009 
The secretary general of NATO says he agrees with U.S. President Barack Obama's approach to the war in Afghanistan. The two leaders discussed strategy on Tuesday. 

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the leader of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, says President Obama is right to decide strategy, then troop strength, for Afghanistan.

"The first thing is not numbers," Rasmussen said. "It is to find and fine-tune the right approach to implement¹ the strategy already laid down. And all NATO allies are right now looking at McChrystal's review."

Army General Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, has sent his evaluation² of the situation on the ground to Mr. Obama and European leaders. Among other things, he is calling for more combat troops.

In the Oval Office on Tuesday, the president joined Mr. Rasmussen in saying the NATO operation in Afghanistan is a team effort.

"This is not a American battle; this is a NATO mission as well," Mr. Obama said. "And we are working actively³ and diligently⁴ to consult with NATO at every step of the way."

Mr. Obama is considering whether to send more troops to Afghanistan to prevent the Taliban from again taking control of the country or to use special forces and unmanned spy planes to target al-Qaida in Pakistan.

Either way, the president said U.S. goals in Afghanistan have not changed.

"It is absolutely critical that we are successful in dismantling⁵, disrupting, destroying the al Qaida network," Mr. Obama said. "And that we are effectively working with the Afghan government to provide the security necessary for that country."

After meeting with Mr. Obama, NATO's Anders Rasmussen said he is convinced that success in Afghanistan will be achieved.

"This alliance will stand united and we will stay in Afghanistan as long as it takes to finish our job," Rasmussen said.

President Obama's meeting with Mr. Rasmussen is one of a series of meetings on Afghanistan strategy taking place during the next few weeks. A major meeting of key administration and military officials on Afghanistan, originally scheduled for Tuesday, has been postponed⁶ until Wednesday.

1 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

2 evaluation   

n.估价，评价；赋值

参考例句：

• I attempted an honest evaluation of my own life.我试图如实地评价我自己的一生。
• The new scheme is still under evaluation.新方案还在评估阶段。

3 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

4 diligently   

ad.industriously;carefully

参考例句：

• He applied himself diligently to learning French. 他孜孜不倦地学法语。
• He had studied diligently at college. 他在大学里勤奋学习。

5 dismantling   

（枪支）分解

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。
• The dismantling of a nuclear reprocessing plant caused a leak of radioactivity yesterday. 昨天拆除核后处理工厂引起了放射物泄漏。

6 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。