2006年VOA标准英语-Former Iran President Calls for Troop Withdrawa

By Sonja Pace
London
02 November 2006
 
Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami says American policies in Iraq and Afghanistan have led to an upsurge in terrorism and he called for a quick withdrawal¹ of foreign forces from those countries.  Mr. Khatami made the comments during a speech in London.

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		Mohammad Khatami, speaking at Chatham House in London, Nov. 1, 2006

It was billed as a keynote speech on the importance of tolerance², dialogue and moderation.  But, during his address at London's Chatham House research center, Mr. Khatami was soon asked about other issues, including Iraq and Afghanistan.

He said Iran was delighted to see Saddam Hussein toppled in Baghdad and the Taleban removed from power in Afghanistan.

But, Mr. Khatami said American actions in both those countries have been major mistakes.  Instead of stopping terrorism, he said, they created more terrorism and extremism throughout the region. 

Mr. Khatami said foreign forces should withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan as soon as possible and allow neighboring countries to help find a solution.

He also said that the security of both Iraq and Afghanistan is vital to the security of Iran, and he said Tehran supports the newly elected governments in Kabul and Baghdad and is doing its part in reconstruction³ efforts. 

That comment contradicts American accusations⁴ that Iran is playing a destabilizing role and meddling⁵ in its neighbors' affairs.

The former Iranian president said he hoped U.S. policies would improve, after, as he put it, the Americans see the results of their mistakes in the upcoming polls.

Americans vote next Tuesday in elections for the House of Representatives and a portion of the Senate, and opinion polls indicate Iraq will be a major issue, with a majority of Americans shown to oppose the war.

Relations between Tehran and Washington were a central theme in Mr. Khatami's comments.

He rebuked⁶ the Bush administration's efforts to bring democracy to the Middle East, saying the countries there want and deserve democracy, but not by foreign imposition.

He at one point referred to democracy as "a flower, a seed" that was cultivated in the West long ago and that shall be cultivated in the land of Islam in a different way, because conditions are different. 

Asked specifically about human rights abuses in Iran, Mr. Khatami said that torture and wrongdoings have been committed and may still take place.  But, he quickly pointed⁷ to similar abuses elsewhere. 

"Torture is wrong," he said, "whether in Guantanamo Bay [in Cuba], in Abu Ghraib prison [outside Baghdad], in Israeli prisons, the prisons of U.S. allies or in Iranian prisons."

Mr. Khatami never specifically referred to Iran's dispute with the United States and the United Nations over Tehran's development of nuclear technology.  Iran says the program is for peaceful purposes only, but the United States and other nations fear it will lead to the development of a nuclear bomb and the U.N. Security Council is considering sanctions against Iran over the issue.

The only veiled reference came when Mr. Khatami spoke⁸ of the need for eastern or Muslim nations to embrace technology and development.  That, said the former Iranian leader, is something the East should learn from the West.

1 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

2 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

3 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

4 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

5 meddling   

v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He denounced all "meddling" attempts to promote a negotiation. 他斥责了一切“干预”促成谈判的企图。 来自辞典例句
• They liked this field because it was never visited by meddling strangers. 她们喜欢这块田野，因为好事的陌生人从来不到那里去。 来自辞典例句

6 rebuked   

责难或指责( rebuke的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The company was publicly rebuked for having neglected safety procedures. 公司因忽略了安全规程而受到公开批评。
• The teacher rebuked the boy for throwing paper on the floor. 老师指责这个男孩将纸丢在地板上。

7 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。