2006年VOA标准英语-Afghanistan Welcomes US Decision to Cancel

By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
08 February 2006

 
A man with a double leg amputation¹ begs in a street in Kabul (File photo - April 1, 2004)
  
Afghanistan has welcomed the decision by leading Western creditors³ to cancel the country's debts. The United States says it will cancel its entire $108 million debt and called on all of Afghanistan's lenders to follow suit.

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Afghan government spokesman, Khaleeq Ahmed, on Wednesday applauded the U.S. move, which eliminates a major financial constraint⁴ on Afghanistan's new democracy.

"After 30 years of war and devastation⁵, we are starting from nothing basically," said Ahmed. "It will take a long time for us to be fully⁶ self-sufficient."

Announcing the U.S. decision Tuesday, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack urged other members of the so-called Paris Club of leading creditor² nations to provide 100 percent debt forgiveness.

McCormack said that despite numerous challenges, Afghanistan is working hard to build a stable market economy.

"The solution of the debt problem through the Paris Club process will strongly contribute to the development of Afghanistan's trade, investment and other economic ties with its major creditors and with the rest of the world," he said.

Earlier this week, both Russia and Germany announced plans to cancel Afghanistan's outstanding debts.

Aid agencies are also welcoming the decision, saying the debts were a significant obstacle to Afghanistan's financial growth and independence.

"…especially when you look at the fiscal⁷ sustainability of the Afghan government, it's very important that they're not burdened with debt," said Christian⁸ Dennys, who works for the British aid group Oxfam in Kabul.

The announcements follow last week's donor⁹ conference in London where nearly 70 countries and international bodies pledged more than $10 billion for the war-torn country.

The money is intended to assist Afghanistan to strengthen its economy, crack down on the country's booming drugs trade, and improve security.

1 amputation   

n.截肢

参考例句：

• In ancient India,adultery was punished by amputation of the nose.在古代印度，通奸要受到剖鼻的处罚。
• He lived only hours after the amputation.截肢后，他只活了几个小时。

2 creditor   

n.债仅人，债主，贷方

参考例句：

• The boss assigned his car to his creditor.那工头把自己的小汽车让与了债权人。
• I had to run away from my creditor whom I made a usurious loan.我借了高利贷不得不四处躲债。

3 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 constraint   

n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物

参考例句：

• The boy felt constraint in her presence.那男孩在她面前感到局促不安。
• The lack of capital is major constraint on activities in the informal sector.资本短缺也是影响非正规部门生产经营的一个重要制约因素。

5 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

7 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

8 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

9 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。