Bush Says Iraqi Elections Will Make World Safer

 

By Scott Stearns
President Bush says elections in Iraq scheduled for January 30 will help reduce the threat of future terrorist attacks. President Bush and Chilean President Ricardo Lagos reviewed an honor guard at the presidential palace and met for about 40 minutes following the end of the APEC summit.
Taking questions from reporters after those talks, President Bush said he recognizes that President Lagos did not agree with his decision to invade Iraq. Mr. Bush says he respects that opposition¹, and the Chilean leader is still his friend. "It's important to develop a democracy there. I fully² recognize some do not believe that a democracy can take hold in Iraq. I strongly disagree. I believe not only democracy can take hold in Iraq, I believe a democracy will take hold in Iraq," he said.
President Bush says Iraqi elections scheduled for the end of January are an important step forward for the country.
He said interim³ Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi is a strong, capable democrat⁴ who believes in the possibilities of the people of Iraq and knows that those possibilities will be unleashed⁵ in a free society. "And so the United States of America will stay the course and we will complete the task. We will help Iraq develop a democracy and the world will be better off for it. Free societies don't attack each other. Democracies listen to the aspirations⁶ of their people, not feed hatred⁷ and resentment⁸ and future terrorists. What we are doing is the right thing in Iraq. And history will prove it right," he said.
Many of the 21 members of the APEC forum⁹ opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Several days of street demonstrations¹⁰ here in Santiago protested that invasion and recent fighting in the Iraqi city of Fallujah.
President Bush says whether people agree with his decision or not, there are two things, he says, that people must agree with: that the world is better off without Saddam Hussein in power and that it is important to succeed in Iraq by developing a democracy there.
Continuing violence in Iraq has raised questions about whether January elections can proceed, and if so, how many Iraqis in what areas will be able to cast their ballots¹¹. U.S. military commanders in Iraq say they are on track to establish sufficient security ahead of the vote.
With the APEC summit closed, President Bush leaves for Colombia Monday for talks with President Alvaro Uribe on continuing efforts to stop the flow of illegal narcotics¹².
The two leaders will take questions from reporters at Colombia's naval¹³ academy before the president and Mrs. Bush return to their Texas ranch¹⁴.
Scott Stearns, VOA News, in Santiago, Chile.
注释：
reduce减轻, 缓解
Chilean 智利
APEC summit  亚太经济合作组织最高领导人会议
interim 临时的
unleash 释放
stay the course 持续到底
better off 状况好的
aspiration 热望, 渴望
hatred 憎恨, 仇恨
resentment 怨恨, 愤恨
APEC forum亚太经合组织多边论坛
Santiago圣地亚哥(智利首都)
cast their ballot 投票
narcotic毒品
ranch 大牧场

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

3 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。

4 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

5 unleashed   

v.把（感情、力量等）释放出来，发泄( unleash的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The government's proposals unleashed a storm of protest in the press. 政府的提案引发了新闻界的抗议浪潮。
• The full force of his rage was unleashed against me. 他把所有的怒气都发泄在我身上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

7 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

8 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

9 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

10 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。

11 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 narcotics   

n.麻醉药( narcotic的名词复数 )；毒品；毒

参考例句：

• The use of narcotics by teenagers is a problem in many countries. 青少年服用麻醉药在许多国家中都是一个问题。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Police shook down the club, looking for narcotics. 警方彻底搜查了这个俱乐部，寻找麻醉品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

14 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。