2006年VOA标准英语-Talk about Talks with Iran and Syria

By Peter Fedynsky
Washington, DC
29 November 2006
 
watch Talks with Iran & Syria

President George W. Bush,  27 Nov 2006

President Bush's meeting with the Prime Minister of Iraq Nouri al-Maliki on Wednesday follows earlier talks in Tehran between the presidents of Iran and Iraq.  As VOA's Peter Fedynsky reports, the politics of who talks with whom are controversial.

Violence in Iraq has prompted a series of recent crisis talks … and controversy¹ about such talks. 

Vice² President Dick Cheney met on Saturday with King Abdullah in Saudi Arabia.  But Steven Cook, a Middle East expert with the independent Council on Foreign Relations in New York questions the influence Saudi Arabia has in Iraq. "It makes tremendous sense to talk to the neighbors to see what kind of pressure, what kind of leverage³ they can bring to bear on the situation.  But, we should be well aware that their ability to effect the situation on the ground may be as limited as ours is."

On Monday, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani conferred in Tehran with his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  Fareed Zakaria, the editor of Newsweek International Magazine, sees that meeting as an Iranian attempt to upstage the United States. "What Iran is saying to Iraq is, 'Look, if you want stability in your country, and you think we can help you, don't go through Washington, come directly to us.'"

The announcement of President Bush's meeting in Jordan on Wednesday with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki prompted Shi'ite lawmakers associated with influential⁴ cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to threaten withdrawal⁵ from al-Maliki's coalition⁶ government.

Meanwhile, the New York Times newspaper reports that the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan U.S. panel reviewing strategic options in Iraq, is likely to recommend direct talks between the United States, Iran and Syria.  The Bush administration, however, has accused those countries of fueling the violence in Iraq. 

President Bush has also linked any U.S.-Iranian talks to Tehran's alleged⁷ nuclear weapons program.  "As far as the United States goes, Iran knows how to get to the table with us, and that is to do that which they said they would do, which is verifiably suspend their enrichment programs."

Iranian President Ahmadinejad accuses the United States of seeking to dominate the Middle East and its oil, and sets his own preconditions for talks with Washington.  "The Iranian nation is ready to help you to get out of the quagmire⁸ on condition that you resume behaving in a just manner and avoid bullying⁹ and invading."

Robert Malley, a member of the National Security Council during the Clinton administration, says Iran and Syria have the ability to spoil any attempts to stabilize¹⁰ Iraq.  He told a seminar at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C. that avoiding talks with those countries only promises more chaos¹¹. "The alternative, which is an alternative of talking to neighbors, with our clear red lines, but [also] listening to their interests and trying to see whether there is any overlap¹² between what we're prepared to live with and what they're prepared to live with.  That is, at this point, the only way forward in a situation that may in fact not have an easy cure for years to come."

Recommendations of the Iraq Study Group are expected in a final report to President Bush and Congress in December.  Mr. Bush, however, is not bound by those recommendations and is expected to also consider studies by the Joint¹³ Chiefs of Staff and his National Security Council.

1 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

4 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

5 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。

6 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

7 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

8 quagmire   

n.沼地

参考例句：

• On their way was a quagmire which was difficult to get over.路上他俩遇到了—个泥坑,很难过得去。
• Rain had turned the grass into a quagmire.大雨使草地变得一片泥泞。

9 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 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。

11 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

12 overlap   

v.重叠，与…交叠；n.重叠

参考例句：

• The overlap between the jacket and the trousers is not good.夹克和裤子重叠的部分不好看。
• Tiles overlap each other.屋瓦相互叠盖。

13 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。