2006年VOA标准英语-Senators Press for Resolution of Iraq War

By Peter Fedynsky
Washington, DC
16 November 2006
 
watch Iraq Senate Hearing

U.S. troop levels in Iraq and hopes for a political resolution to the violence in that country dominated the first post-election hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday.  Committee members reflected voter concerns about the protracted¹ U.S. presence in Iraq.

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Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator John Warner (R) speaks with General John Abizaid (L) the top US commander in the Middle East  
  
Armed Services Committee Chairman, Senator John Warner, opened the hearing with a reminder² that on November 26th, America's involvement in Iraq will surpass the duration of its struggle in World War Two.  He asked the head of U.S. Central Command, General John Abizaid, to explain why.

The general replied, "Like in any campaign, there are ups and downs, there are battles that go your way and battles that don't go your way. The period from September to August was a deterioration³ of the security situation brought about by severe sectarian tensions."

General Abizaid says earlier optimism about reducing the U.S. troop presence in Iraq was diminished by the February attack on the Shi'ite Golden Mosque⁴ in Samara, by sectarian violence, and the inability of the Iraqi government to establish itself. 

Abizaid said more U.S. troops are not needed in Iraq.   But, he also cautioned against any reductions, saying U.S. forces are needed to help train, equip and deploy⁵ Iraqi forces.  This sparked criticism from Republican committee member Senator John McCain.

"Of course, I'm disappointed that basically you're advocating the status quo here today, which I think the American people in the last election said that is not an acceptable condition for the American people," said the senator.

Also testifying was senior State Department advisor⁶ Ambassador David Satterfield, who said some Iraqis have turned to armed sectarian militias⁸ for security.  He said violence associated with such groups threatens to diminish Iraqi national identity.

Ambassador David Satterfield   
  
"This outcome in Iraq is unacceptable," said the ambassador. "It would undermine U.S. national interests in that country and in the broader region and it would lead to a humanitarian⁹ disaster for the Iraqi people."

Asked by Senator Warner about engaging Iraq's neighbors in search of peace, Satterfield said that Syria must disassociate itself from forces of violence and extremism such as Iran and Hezbollah.  At the same time, the ambassador did not reject talks with Teheran. "With respect to Iran, we are prepared in principle to discuss Iranian activities in Iraq.  The timing¹⁰ of such a direct dialogue is one we still have under review."

Ambassador Satterfield told the committee that the chances of a political resolution in Iraq will be significantly diminished if sectarian violence and the growth of militias are not reduced.  And General Abizaid said resolution of the militia⁷ problem is ultimately up to the Iraqi forces.

1 protracted   

adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The war was protracted for four years. 战争拖延了四年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We won victory through protracted struggle. 经过长期的斗争，我们取得了胜利。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

3 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。

4 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

5 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

6 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

7 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

8 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

9 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

10 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。