Blair Urges Britons to Unite in Support of Troops

Broadcast: Mar¹ 21 2003

 

British Prime Minister Tony Blair says he has ordered British troops to fight for the overthrow² of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. His remarks in a broadcast statement were his first public comments on the war.

Prime Minister Blair delivered a somber³, five-minute broadcast address late Thursday to formally tell his countrymen Britain was at war.

"Tonight, British servicemen and women are engaged from air, land and sea," he said. "Their mission: to remove Saddam Hussein from power and disarm⁴ Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction."

As British anti-war ¹⁾protestors mobilize for more demonstrations⁵, Mr. Blair acknowledged the war is ²⁾controversial.

"I know this course of action has produced deep division of opinion within our country," he said. "But I know also the British people will now be united in sending our armed forces our thoughts and prayers."

The prime minister also tried to reassure⁶ the Iraqi people that they are not the target of the campaign. "I hope the Iraqi people hear this message. We are with you. Our enemy is not you, but your ³⁾barbarous rulers," he said.

Mr. Blair stressed Britain is totally committed to post-war humanitarian⁷ relief, and will make sure Iraqi oil revenues go into a United Nations trust fund to benefit Iraq, and no one else.

Michael Drudge⁸ VOA NEWS, London.

 

1)    protestor[prEJ`testE(r)]n.抗议者, 反对者

2)    controversial [7kCntrE5vE:FEl]adj.争论的, 争议的

3)    barbarous [5bB:bErEs]adj.野蛮的, 残暴的, 粗野的

1 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

2 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

3 somber   

adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• He had a somber expression on his face.他面容忧郁。
• His coat was a somber brown.他的衣服是暗棕色的。

4 disarm   

v.解除武装，回复平常的编制，缓和

参考例句：

• The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. 全世界等待伊拉克解除武装已有12年之久。
• He has rejected every peaceful opportunity offered to him to disarm.他已经拒绝了所有能和平缴械的机会。

5 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

6 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

7 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

8 drudge   

n.劳碌的人；v.做苦工，操劳

参考例句：

• I feel like a real drudge--I've done nothing but clean all day!我觉得自己像个做苦工的--整天都在做清洁工作！
• I'm a poor,miserable,forlorn drudge;I shall only drag you down with me.我是一个贫穷，倒运，走投无路的苦力，只会拖累你。