Bush Consults with Foreign Leaders on Iraq

 

 

Paula Wolfson

 

President Bush is monitoring events in Iraq from his Texas ranch¹. He is also calling foreign leaders, and consulting by video conference with his top advisors³.

 

It has turned into a working vacation for the president, with the focus on the violence in Iraq.

 

Aides say he spent Friday morning consulting by telephone and video conference with leaders of other coalition⁴ countries and his national security team.

 

White House Spokesman Scott McClellan says Mr. Bush began his day with calls to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, and El Salvador's President Francisco Flores.

 

Mr. McClellan says the calls centered on the current situation in Iraq. He says all four leaders reaffirmed their commitment to helping⁵ the Iraqi people achieve a free and democratic future. He says they also vowed⁶ to defeat what he called, extremist elements, who want to derail the transition to democracy through violence.

 

The White House spokesman provided no further details, except to say Mr. Bush expressed condolences to President Flores for the recent death of a Salvadoran soldier in Iraq.

 

Later in the day, President Bush convened⁸ a meeting of his National Security Council, with participants joining in through secure video links. Mr. McClellan told reporters, Mr. Bush got an update on military operations, including efforts to defeat the militia⁹ led by radical¹⁰ Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Another topic was the possibility of terrorist activity during the Shi'ite pilgrimage in southern Iraq.

 

Those taking part included Defense¹¹ Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Central Intelligence Agency Director George Tenet, senior generals from the field, and the top American in Iraq, Paul Bremmer, who heads the coalition authority.

 

Also joining the session from Washington was the president's National Security Advisor², Condoleezza Rice. Ms. Rice, who testified Thursday before the independent commission investigating the September 11 terrorist attacks, is to spend the Easter weekend with the Bush family in Crawford, Texas.

 

Texas [5teksEs] n. 德克萨斯州（美国州名）

ranch [rAntF] n. 大农场

consult [kEn5sQlt] v. 商量，商议

video conference  视讯会议

advisor [Ed5vaIzE(r)] n. 顾问

vacation [vE5keiFEn] n. 假期，休假

Italian [i5tAljEn] adj. 意大利的

Polish [5pEuliF] adj. 波兰(Poland)的

El Salvador [el5sAlvEdC:] n. 萨尔瓦多（共和国），位于中美洲北部。南濒太平洋，海岸线长256千米。境内多火山和地震。

defeat [di5fi:t] vt. 击败，使失败

convene⁷ [kEn5vi:n] v. 召集，集合

militia [mi5liFE] n. 民兵

radical [5rAdikEl] adj. 激进的

Shi'ite  什叶派

pilgrimage [5pil^rimidV] n. 朝圣

testify [5testifai] v. 证明，证实，作证

commission [kE5miFEn] n. 委任，委托

1 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

2 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

3 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

4 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

7 convene   

v.集合，召集，召唤，聚集，集合

参考例句：

• The Diet will convene at 3p.m. tomorrow.国会将于明天下午三点钟开会。
• Senior officials convened in October 1991 in London.1991年10月，高级官员在伦敦会齐。

8 convened   

召开( convene的过去式 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• The chairman convened the committee to put the issue to a vote. 主席召集委员们开会对这个问题进行表决。
• The governor convened his troops to put down the revolt. 总督召集他的部队去镇压叛乱。

9 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

10 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

11 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。