Iraqi Leaders Hail Signing of Interim Constitution as Histor

Iraqi Leaders Hail Signing of Interim¹ Constitution as Historic

 

Kerry Sheridan

 

Iraq's interim leaders signed a new temporary constitution Friday, hailing the document as historic and one that reflects consensus² among Iraqis.

 

A group of children representing the new spirit of the Iraqi nation sang of peace and hope to begin the ceremonial signing of Iraq's interim constitution.

 

The current president of the Iraqi Governing Council, Mohammed Bahr al-Ulloum, hailed the signing of the document as historic. The Shi'ite cleric spoke³ of the 181 people who were killed last week when bombs tore through the cities of Baghdad and Karbala on the Shi'ite holiday of Ashoura, saying hundreds were martyred by evil forces that have tried to hinder the political process.

 

He said the road to the new Iraq began with the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, and restoring sovereignty to the Iraqi people will be the nation's crowning moment.

 

The new constitution recognizes the basic rights of all segments of Iraqi society calling for democracy and pluralism in the new federal republic of Iraq. Women will be represented in government, Islam will be the official religion of the state and a source of legislation, and Kurds will retain basic autonomy in the north.

 

Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani spoke about the chemical attacks that Saddam Hussein launched in 1988, killing⁵ thousands of Kurds. He said it is the first time Kurds feel they are equal under the law.

 

While some have praised the interim constitution for giving voice to all ethnic⁶ and religious groups within Iraq, many of the parties involved say it didn't go far enough.

 

Kurds had hoped for more guarantees of autonomy, oil revenue sharing and territorial⁷ expansion. Shi'ites had pressed for Islam to be the official source of the country's legislation.

 

The top U.S. official in Baghdad, Paul Bremer, said the constitution reflected compromise, which is necessary in a democracy.

 

The signing of the document was delayed twice, first by a series of bombings in Baghdad and Karbala last Tuesday, and then on Friday after Shi'ite leaders had last-minute reservations about the veto power that Kurds could exercise.

 

 

注释：

hail [heil] vt. 向……欢呼

ceremonial [7seri5mEunjEl] adj. 正式的

cleric [5klerik] n. 牧师，传教士

Karbala [5kB:bElE] 卡尔巴拉（伊斯兰教什叶派的圣地）

Shi'ite holiday of Ashoura  什叶派阿苏拉节

martyr⁴ [5mB:tE] v. 杀害，折磨

restore [ris5tC:] vt. 恢复，使回复

sovereignty [5sCvrinti] n. 主权，主权国家

crowning [5krauniN] adj. 最高的，无比的

pluralism [5pluErElizEm] n. 多元主义，多元文化

legislation [7ledVis5leiFEn] n. 立法

autonomy [C:5tCnEmi] n. 自治

Kurdish [kE:diF] adj. 库尔德的

Kurds [kE:d] n. 库尔德人

guarantee [7^ArEn5ti:] n. 保证，担保

revenue [5revinju:] n. 收入

territorial [7teri5tC:riEl] adj. 领土的

veto [5vi:tEu] n. 否决，禁止，否决权

1 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

2 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 martyr   

n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲

参考例句：

• The martyr laid down his life for the cause of national independence.这位烈士是为了民族独立的事业而献身的。
• The newspaper carried the martyr's photo framed in black.报上登载了框有黑边的烈士遗像。

5 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

7 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。