2006年VOA标准英语-US General: Iraqi Government, Local Insurg

By Al Pessin
Pentagon
06 January 2006

The top U.S. military officer expressed the hope on Thursday that as a new Iraqi government takes power in the coming months, many of the Iraqi insurgents¹ will decide to lay down their arms. But a member of the U.S. Senate's Armed Services Committee says that may not happen very quickly. Both men have just ended visits to Iraq. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon on comments the two officials made on Thursday.

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General Peter Pace briefs reporters at the Pentagon, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2005
  

The Chairman of the Joint² Chiefs of Staff, General Peter Pace, says he found a much improved situation during his visit. He says more and more Iraqi military units are demonstrating their competence³ and taking control of parts of the country, freeing up U.S. troops to perform support and training functions.

General Pace attributed the continuing violence, including high death tolls⁴ from bombings this week, to an effort mainly by foreign insurgents to disrupt the formation of the new Iraqi government. He said that effort will fail and predicted that foreign insurgents will become increasingly isolated⁵ as the new government takes power and native-Iraqi insurgents move to become part of the political process.

"As they see the results of these elections, as they see their own government providing a way ahead that all of their citizens can understand as progress for their country, that those who are fighting against the government right now who are Iraqis will more and more lay down their arms and decide to become part of the future of Iraq, and not the past," he said.

General Pace says for that to happen, the Iraqi government will have to be inclusive and effective, the Iraqi military and police forces will have to continue to develop and the Iraqi people will have to stop allowing insurgents to operate in their cities and towns.

Jack⁶ Reed
(file photo)  
  
Senator Jack Reed, a Democratic Party member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, agrees that the performance of the new Iraqi government is crucially important. But he says even if it is successful Iraqi insurgents are not likely to lay down their arms anytime soon.

"Hopefully that's a goal, but I would guess that that process would take many, many years," he said. "I think you would be, I think, somewhat na?ve to assume that some of these people who are resisting, native-Iraqis, would come in peacefully or in the near future, even if the government was making progress."

And speaking from Qatar, where he arrived Thursday after two days in Iraq, Senator Reed said if the Iraqi political parties fail to form an inclusive government, or if the government is not competent and effective, the Iraqi part of the insurgency⁷ could pose a greater threat than the foreign fighters.

"If this political process does not prevail or succeed, if the ministries⁸ of Iraq don't function, if the leadership of Iraq is not inclusive and people lose faith in this governmental process, I don't think they'll turn to Islamic fundamentalists, international terrorists," he said. "They may turn to native-born nationalists, who are urging that this government be thrown out and that the Americans leave with it. So, in my view, that's a much more credible⁹ threat."

Senator Reed says it is essential for the United States to continue providing support for the Iraqi military, and also to provide civilian¹⁰ support for the new Iraqi national government, and for provincial¹¹ governments.

General Pace also called for continued U.S. support for Iraq, but he said whether the country's democratic experiment succeeds depends mainly on the Iraqis themselves.

"The difference will be the ability of the Iraqi armed forces and Iraqi police to maintain order inside the cities and countryside, and the desire of the Iraqi people to lead a normal life," he said.

General Pace says the U.S. military is putting increasing emphasis on training elite¹² Iraqi police commandos in order to provide security in local areas throughout the country.
 
 

1 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

2 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

3 competence   

n.能力，胜任，称职

参考例句：

• This mess is a poor reflection on his competence.这种混乱情况说明他难当此任。
• These are matters within the competence of the court.这些是法院权限以内的事。

4 tolls   

（缓慢而有规律的）钟声( toll的名词复数 )； 通行费； 损耗； （战争、灾难等造成的）毁坏

参考例句：

• A man collected tolls at the gateway. 一个人在大门口收通行费。
• The long-distance call tolls amount to quite a sum. 长途电话费数目相当可观。

5 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

6 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

7 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

8 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

9 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

10 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

11 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

12 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。