In testimony to a congressional committee, a United Nations official has expressed renewed concern about conditions facing Iraqi refugees who have fled to neighboring countries.
联合国一位官员在美国国会作证时再次对逃到邻国的伊拉克人的处境表示担忧。
Deputy United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Craig Johnstone, says the Iraq refugee situation remains the largest in the world.
联合国难民事务副高级专员克雷格.约翰斯通说，伊拉克难民人数继续是世界上最多的。
Four to five million Iraqis are estimated to have fled their country, many to Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, although Johnstone says exact figures are difficult.
他说，估计有400万到500万的伊拉克人逃离了伊拉克，许多人逃到了叙利亚、约旦和黎巴嫩，但很难掌握确切人数。
The U.N. official says there is now a somewhat improved asylum situation in neighboring countries, with diminished threats, at least for the time being, of forced return.
约翰斯通说，伊拉克邻国的难民局势现在有所改善，遣返的威胁至少目前已经消失。
At the same time, Johnstone says Iraqis who have fled their country, many of them well-educated, face difficult and desperate circumstances as urban refugees.
他同时说，出逃的伊拉克人很多都受过良好教育，是城市难民，他们面临艰难的绝境。
"If you can't have a job, if you have no money you will starve to death as a well-educated person just as fast as somebody that has no education, and I think sometimes that gets lost on us because when we talk to these people they are extraordinarily articulate, very capable, they would provide an asset to any society in which they found themselves and yet they are in absolutely dire circumstances. It really is an amazing situation," he said.
约翰斯通说：“(这些人)即使受过良好教育，但如果无法工作、没钱，就会象没有受过教育的人一样面临死亡。我们有时会忽略这点，因为当我们同在这些人交谈时，会觉得他们特别会说话、很能干，到哪个社会都是财富，能够立足。但是他们的境遇绝对悲惨。这很让人吃惊。”
Forty seven percent of Iraqi refugees are women facing particularly difficult circumstances. Johnstone says women make up 20 percent of all heads of families, taking care of children because so many men have been killed in some way in conflict in Iraq.
47%的伊拉克难民是境遇尤其艰难的妇女。约翰斯通说，因为很多男人在伊拉克冲突中丧生，高达20%的家庭只剩下母亲单独照顾孩子。
Despite progress in negotiations with host governments that has allowed increasing numbers of refugee children to attend school, Johnstone points to a climate of fear among Iraqi parents that doing so will make them more vulnerable to forced return at some point.
The Bush administration has faced sharp criticism over the number of Iraqis approved for resettlement in the United States, with reports last month quoting State Department statistics that U.S. admissions had declined since last October.
布什政府因为批准接收伊拉克难民到美国定居的数量问题而受到强烈批评。1月有报导援引美国国务院的统计数字显示，美国接收的伊拉克难民去年10月以来有所下降。
Johnstone, an American, hopes that will change, but he is skeptical. "One can afford to be skeptical looking at the slow start that they have. I do see that the Department of Homeland Security is far more mobilized today then it was two months ago on the issue," he said.
约翰斯通希望这会改变，但是他对此持怀疑态度。约翰斯通说：“当人们看到开始时进展缓慢，都会感到怀疑。我的确感到国土安全部今天在这个问题上要比以往更加积极。”
Subcommittee chairman, Democratic Congressman William Delahunt, is among lawmakers who say the United States bears a special obligation. "This sad reality imposes a moral responsibility on this administration and this Congress, for we cannot deny that the proximate cause of this human tragedy is the invasion of Iraq and its aftermath. It is believed by many that this is an American-made crisis," he said.
众议院民主党派籍分会主席德拉亨特是认为美国对此负有特别责任的议员之一。德拉亨特说：“本届政府与国会对这个悲惨现实负有道义责任，因为我们无法否认，造成这个人类悲剧的可能原因是伊拉克战争和战争带来的后果。很多人相信这是美国制造的危机。”
Republican Dana Rohrabacher disagrees, saying the problem is not America's alone but an international humanitarian issue.
共和党议员罗尔巴赫尔不认为这是美国的错。她说，这不仅仅是美国的问题，而是一个国际人道问题。
U.N. statistics show a decline in the number of Iraqis returning home in recent months.
联合国统计数字显示，返回家园的伊拉克难民近几个月来有所减少。
International Organization for Migration (I.O.M.) official Rafiz Tschannen says that as internal displacement rates in Iraq have significantly declined, in part due to improved security, the rate of internal displacement now slightly exceeds the rate of return from other countries.
国际移民组织官员钱能说，随著伊拉克安全局势的改善，伊拉克国内的流离失所率显著下降，现在仅稍高于从邻国返回人员的比率。
Whether or not refugee flows out of Iraq pick up again, Tschannen says insufficient international financial contributions place Iraqis in jeopardy. "Funding remains insufficient. IOM has barely received 28 percent of its $85-million appeal for IDP [internally displaced people], with the U.S. too often being the largest donor, and the one whose support has been the most consistent. But lack of funding remains," he said.
那么伊拉克难民到底会不会再次逃离伊拉克呢？钱能说，国际财政援助不够，让伊拉克人境遇危险。钱能说：“财政援助还是不足。国际移民组织要求为国内流离失所人员提供8千5百万美元援助，只有28%得到了满足，而且美国是最大的援助国，美国也一直都支持援助计划。但是现在还是缺钱。”
In his testimony Tuesday, Deputy U.N. refugee commissioner Johnstone said Jordan and Syria have shouldered most of the Iraqi refugee burden, and should be thanked for their generosity.
联合国难民事务副高级专员约翰斯通在听证会上说，约旦和叙利亚承担了大部分伊拉克的难民负担，应该感谢他们的慷慨。
But despite their support, he says the international community must take advantage of a window of opportunity to step up financial assistance, and take advantage of improved security in Iraq, to deal with the refugee situation, keeping in mind that new refugee flows are always a possibility.
但是他说，尽管有约旦和叙利亚的支持，但是国际社会还是必须利用目前的机会来增加财政援助，并利用伊拉克安全局势的改善，来应对难民局势。国际社会应该时刻不忘，永远可能发生新的难民潮。 |