2006年VOA标准英语-Annan Says US Is Trapped in Iraq

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
21 November 2006

Mr. Annan speaks to journalists during his last official press conference at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday, Nov 21, 2006

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says the United States is "trapped" in a difficult situation in Iraq and that Iran and Syria could play a positive role in helping¹ the Baghdad government bring the fighting to an end. The secretary-general was speaking in Geneva, where he had a farewell meeting with U.N. diplomats² and reporters based there. He steps down as secretary general at the end of the year.

Secretary-General Annan says Iraqis will have to resolve their internal differences, but they also will need help from their neighbors, as well as from the broader international community.

He says the United States has no easy options in Iraq. "The U.S., in a way, is trapped in Iraq - trapped in the sense that it cannot stay and it cannot leave. There are those who maintain that its presence is a problem. And, there are those who say that if they leave precipitously, the situation would get worse and that they should stay on to help calm and stabilize³ the situation before they leave. I think the U.S. obviously will have to think through this very, very carefully," he said.

Annan says U.S. troops should not leave the country before the Iraqis themselves are able to maintain a reasonably secure environment.

The secretary-general says he has always believed that Iran and Syria could be part of the solution and he encourages their involvement. He says he thinks Iraq's neighbors could play a positive role if they can come together and work with the Iraqis to calm the violent situation. "I believe that an Iraq at peace is in the interest of all the countries including Syria and Iran. And, so I would urge them to use their influence and to do whatever they can to help pacify⁴ Iraq," he said.

After 10 years of service, Kofi Annan's tenure⁵ as U.N. Secretary-General concludes the end of the year. He says his biggest regret is that he was not able to get the U.N. Security Council to prevent the invasion of Iraq by U.S.-led forces. He says he believes a war could have been avoided if U.N. inspectors⁶ had been given more time to do their job.

Mr. Annan will be succeeded by Ban Ki-Moon, former foreign minister of South Korea.

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

4 pacify   

vt.使(某人)平静(或息怒)；抚慰

参考例句：

• He tried to pacify the protesters with promises of reform.他试图以改革的承诺安抚抗议者。
• He tried to pacify his creditors by repaying part of the money.他为安抚债权人偿还了部分借款。

5 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

6 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》