2006年VOA标准英语-Rice Urges Greater Effort to Stem Violence in S

By Jim Randle
Irbil, Iraq
05 October 2006
 
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a surprise visit to Baghdad to meet with Iraqi and U.S. officials on ways to quell¹ violence in Iraq. 

Condoleezza Rice (left) with Iraqi PM al-Maliki, right, in Baghdad  
  
Rice is urging top Iraqi officials and political factions² to press forward with efforts to stem the mounting death toll³ from sectarian violence and to resolve other political issues.

She said the time is past for "endless debate" on these matters.

Earlier this week, a U.S. military spokesman said the number of bombings in Baghdad has hit an all-time high.

Iraq's prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, has been under intense pressure to bring an end to Shi'ite-Sunni killings⁴ that have torn Iraq apart for months. The violence continues despite the government's calls for militias⁵, many of which have ties to parties in the government, to put down their arms.

Before meeting with Rice, Mr. al-Maliki told the Associated Press a political solution must be found to end Iraq's sectarian violence and lead militias to "dissolve themselves." He underlined force would not work because the militias are aligned⁶ with parties that are part of the government and participate in the political process.

Meanwhile, news reports said the man blamed for much of the recent violence, the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, had been killed in a raid by U.S. troops.

 
US soldier stands next to photo of Abu Ayyub al-Masri  
  
But U.S. and Iraqi officials later said it was unlikely that Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri, was among several people killed in the attack. U.S. and Iraqi officials are conducting DNA⁷ tests on one of the bodies to be certain.

Al-Muhajer took over the leadership of al-Qaida in Iraq after his Jordanian-born predecessor⁸, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, died in a U.S. air strike in June.

Earlier this month, Iraq's national security adviser⁹, Mowaffak al-Rubaie, said U.S. and Iraqi forces were closing in on the militant¹⁰ leader.

Al-Rubaie warned that al-Qaida's new leadership would meet the same fate as the old.

The U.S. military accuses the Islamist terrorist group of fanning the sectarian conflict in Iraq between Sunnis and Shi'ites that has raised concerns about a possible civil war.

1 quell   

v.压制，平息，减轻

参考例句：

• Soldiers were sent in to quell the riots.士兵们被派去平息骚乱。
• The armed force had to be called out to quell violence.不得不出动军队来镇压暴力行动。

2 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

3 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

4 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

5 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

6 aligned   

adj.对齐的，均衡的

参考例句：

• Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard.务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。

7 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

8 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

9 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

10 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。