2006年VOA标准英语-New US Defense Secretary Visits Iraq

By Margaret Besheer
Baghdad
20 December 2006

The new U.S. defense¹ secretary, Robert Gates, has made good on his promise to make the Iraq war his top priority, arriving in the country to assess the situation on the ground just two days after being sworn in as the new military chief.  VOA's Margaret Besheer has more from Baghdad.

 
Robert Gates, left, talks with Army Major General Joseph F. Fil Jr., during his visit to Baghdad
Secretary Gates told reporters traveling with him that he is in Iraq on a listening mission to hear from commanders and Iraqis and to see what he can learn.

The secretary's visit comes as the Bush administration is looking for a new way forward in Iraq. President Bush has said he is considering many options and will not announce any change in strategy until after the new year. One of those possibilities would be sending an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Iraq to help secure Baghdad and other areas rife² with sectarian violence.

Regarding his meeting with top U.S. generals, Secretary Gates told reporters that they discussed the possibility of a surge in troops and the potential for what it might accomplish.

"The question is what is the mission? What is the purpose? Can we do this? How big should an increase be," he said.

The top U.S. commander in Iraq, General George Casey, said he has consistently asked for the number of troops he thinks is necessary, including temporary troop increases such as during Iraqi elections.

"I am not necessarily opposed to the idea but what I want to see happen is if we do bring more American troops here, they help us progress toward our strategic objectives," he said.  "That is what I'll be interested in."

At a news conference in Washington Wednesday, President Bush said he has not decided³ yet whether to increase U.S. troops in Iraq.

 
President Bush speaks during a news conference
"Let me wait and gather all the recommendations from Bob Gates, from our military, from diplomats⁴ on the ground, the Iraqi point of view.  And then I will get back to you as to whether or not I support a surge or not," said Mr. Bush.

The American and Iraqi publics are eager to see an improvement in Iraq's security situation, as levels of violence have been rising and record high numbers of Iraqis and U.S. forces are being killed.

In the latest sectarian attacks, two car bombs exploded in Baghdad Wednesday, killing⁵ several people. One detonated early in the morning at a police checkpoint leading to Baghdad University.  Students and police officers were among the dead and wounded.

A second car bomb explosion killed and injured several people in the north of the city.

Though violence continues in the capital, other parts of the country appear stable.

In the southern province of Najaf, U.S. forces transferred control to Iraqi security forces at a ceremony on Wednesday.  It is the third of Iraq's 18 provinces to come under Iraqi control, but the first one the Americans are handing over. The other two provinces had been under British and Italian control.

U.S. commander Brigadier General Vincent Brooks⁶ said the Najaf handover is an historic event for Iraq.

"I am proud that the Iraqi police and the Iraqi Army now assume overall responsibility for all law enforcement and security activities in the al-Najaf province," he said.  "This is a terrific success for Iraq, achieved through the policies of the Iraqi government."

Iraqi national security adviser⁷ Mouaffac al-Rubaie said that in a few days security in the three northern provinces of the Kurdistan Region, Dohuk, Irbil and Sulimaniyah, would also be transferred to Iraqi forces.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 rife   

adj.(指坏事情)充斥的，流行的，普遍的

参考例句：

• Disease is rife in the area.疾病在这一区很流行。
• Corruption was rife before the election.选举之前腐败盛行。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 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》

5 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 brooks   

n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时，狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了，今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。