2006年VOA标准英语-US, Pakistani Presidents Reaffirm Commitme

By Paula Wolfson
Islamabad
04 March 2006

President Bush and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf say they stand united in the war on terror, and stress they look forward to an era of enhanced cooperation. The comments came as Mr. Bush made his first visit to Pakistan.

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President George W. Bush, left, with President  Pervez Musharraf after their joint¹ news conference, Saturday  
  

President Bush says Pakistan's cooperation is crucial to the war on terror.

"President Musharraf made a bold decision for his people, and peace, after September 11th, when Pakistan chose to fight the terrorists," he said.

He noted² that Pakistani forces are on the hunt for al-Qaida leaders in the remote areas bordering Afghanistan. Islamic militants³ are still active in Pakistan despite scores of arrests by the government, but Mr. Bush said he is convinced Mr. Musharraf's commitment to the fight is strong.

"Part of my mission today was to determine if the president is as committed as he has been in the past to bring these terrorists to justice, and he is," Mr. Bush said.

But the position taken by Mr. Musharraf has many critics in Pakistan. Militants have tried to assassinate⁴ him on several occasions, and there have been repeated protests in the streets.

On Thursday, the day before Mr. Bush's arrival, an American diplomat⁵ and three Pakistanis were killed in a car bombing outside the U.S. Consulate⁶ in Karachi. President Musharraf said he regrets the incident, but stressed he would not be deterred⁷.

"It's very clear that the intentions of Pakistan and my intentions are absolutely clear - that we have a strong partnership⁸ on the issue of fighting terrorism," he said.

President Bush had to strike a delicate balance during this visit. While praising Pakistan's cooperation in the war on terror, he also tried to prod⁹ President Musharraf to implement¹⁰ greater democratic reforms.

General Musharraf, who came to power seven years ago in a bloodless coup¹¹, still has not given up his job as army chief, as he originally promised he would. When a reporter asked about his commitment to reform, he went on the defensive¹², and spoke¹³ of emerging democratic institutions in Pakistan.

"We have introduced the essence of democracy now in Pakistan. It has been done now. All of these things never existed before," he said.

Other issues that came up during the talks in Islamabad included Iran's nuclear ambitions, Pakistan's energy needs, and efforts to improve Pakistani-Indian relations and resolve the two neighbors' long-standing dispute over the region of Kashmir.

President Bush said he believes that efforts by Mr. Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Manhoman Singh to ease tensions on the subcontinent will ultimately be successful.

"The best way for Kashmir to be resolved is for leaders of both countries to step up and lead," he noted. "And that is exactly what President Musharraf has done, and that is what Prime Minister Singh has assured me he wants to do."

Pakistan is the final stop on the president's South Asia tour. He came to Islamabad after three days in New Delhi and a quick surprise visit to Afghanistan.

1 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。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

4 assassinate   

vt.暗杀，行刺，中伤

参考例句：

• The police exposed a criminal plot to assassinate the president.警方侦破了一个行刺总统的阴谋。
• A plot to assassinate the banker has been uncovered by the police.暗杀银行家的密谋被警方侦破了。

5 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

6 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。

7 deterred   

v.阻止，制止( deter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I told him I wasn't interested, but he wasn't deterred. 我已告诉他我不感兴趣，可他却不罢休。
• Jeremy was not deterred by this criticism. 杰里米没有因这一批评而却步。 来自辞典例句

8 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

9 prod   

vt.戳，刺；刺激，激励

参考例句：

• The crisis will prod them to act.那个危机将刺激他们行动。
• I shall have to prod him to pay me what he owes.我将不得不催促他把欠我的钱还给我。

10 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

11 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

12 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

13 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。