2006年VOA标准英语-Rice Meets Karzai, Reaffirms US Commitment

By David Gollust
London
30 January 2006
 
 
Condoleezza Rice shakes hands with Afghan President Hamid Karzai after a press conference at Claridges, London
  
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Monday reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the Afghan government, saying the two countries' futures¹ are "inextricably linked." She met Afghan President Hamid Karzai in London on the eve of the opening of an international donors² conference for Afghanistan.

There has been anxiety among Afghan officials and others about U.S. plans to withdraw some 2,500 troops from Afghanistan in the next few months in favor of replacements³ from several other NATO countries.

But at a joint⁴ news appearance with President Karzai, the secretary of state delivered a strong reaffirmation of the U.S. commitment to that country, saying the peaceful future of the United States is "inextricably linked" to that of Afghanistan.

The secretary promised there would be no repeat of the situation that followed the end of the Russian occupation of Afghanistan in 1989, when Western governments turned their attention elsewhere and the country was left to the Taleban and al-Qaida.

"The United States has a robust⁵ commitment to Afghanistan, militarily, politically, economically," Rice said. "And we are going to continue that robust presence, because as long as the people of Afghanistan need American partnership⁶, they're going to have it. We made the mistake once before of leaving Afghanistan, and not only did Afghans pay for it, but Americans paid for it on September 11 [2001]. We're not going to make that mistake again."

The secretary of state said trimming the U.S. military presence will still leave some 16,000 American troops in the country, by far the largest foreign contingent⁷.

She said there should be less focus on troop numbers and more on what she said was the U.S. commitment with the Kabul government "to get the job done."

That, she said, includes creating an Afghanistan with capable security forces that can fight terrorism and its narcotics⁸ problem, and allow peaceful development for its people.

En route to London Sunday, Secretary Rice said the United States will announce a significant new financial commitment to Afghanistan at the two-day donors conference that opens here Tuesday.

The United States has provided nearly $10 billion in economic military aid to Afghanistan since it led the invasion of the country in October 2001 that ended Taleban rule.

The 60-nation conference is to produce what's being termed a "compact" between Afghanistan and major contributing countries, under which the Kabul government will commit to specific goals over the next five years in security, governance and economic development.

1 futures   

n.期货，期货交易

参考例句：

• He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
• Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。

2 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 replacements   

n.代替( replacement的名词复数 )；替换的人[物]；替代品；归还

参考例句：

• They infiltrated behind the lines so as to annoy the emery replacements. 他们渗透敌后以便骚扰敌军的调度。 来自辞典例句
• For oil replacements, cheap suddenly looks less of a problem. 对于石油的替代品来说，价格变得无足轻重了。 来自互联网

4 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。

5 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

6 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

7 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

8 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》