2006年VOA标准英语-Iraq's US Ambassador Calls for Regional Help at

By Greg Flakus
Houston
29 June 2006

Samir Sumaida'a   
  
Iraq's ambassador to the United States, Samir Sumaida'ie, spoke¹ at the final luncheon² of the US-Arab Economic Forum³ in Houston Wednesday, calling on neighboring nations to give more assistance to his country's recovery.

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On the third and final day of the US-Arab Economic Forum, the Iraqi ambassador spoke of his nation's efforts to overcome decades of dictatorship under Saddam Hussein and the current struggle to achieve peace and stability.

Ambassador Sumaida'ie said people from other Arab nations who can help Iraq are welcome. "We have the skills, we have the needs. We will have the resources. We need everybody to come in and chip in and provide materials, help us with expertise," he said.

The Iraqi diplomat⁴ praised the United States and other nations whose troops are in the multinational⁵ force in Iraq, saying their support is needed to maintain order while the government works to gain its footing. A major goal of his government, he said, is to bring dissident factions⁶, including some who have committed acts of violence, into the political system.

"This government made it clear that it is moving in that direction, in the direction of reconciliation⁷, of reducing tensions," he said.

On Sunday the Iraqi government unveiled a plan that would provide amnesty for thousands of suspected insurgents⁸ provided they pledge to condemn⁹ violence and back the government. Critics have attacked the plan as being too vague and allowing to go free many people guilty of attacking Iraqi forces and multinational troops.

But Ambassador Sumaida'ie said such steps are part of the overall effort to reduce violence in his country. He said insecurity is the number one problem in Iraq and that economic growth will follow quickly any successful reduction in violence.

"Once we can stabilize¹⁰ the security situation, I believe, the economic reconstruction¹¹ will proceed exponentially, because there is a lot of appetite for investment in Iraq and there are a lot of Iraqis and non-Iraqis who want to go back and invest," he said.

The Iraqi ambassador blamed much of the strife¹² in his country on foreigners who he said have come there to attack US troops. But he said US troops are needed until Iraq's own security forces are ready.

In this regard, he suggested his government may be exploring more innovative¹³ approaches to preparing forces to combat insurgents.

"At the moment our biggest priority is security. It is not so much how many police men or troops we have, it is the quality and reliability¹⁴ of these forces. So we should put resources into that. We should use the latest technology in helping¹⁵ us to manage and issue identification cards and uniforms that cannot be copied and replicated¹⁶ by terrorists and so on," he said.

The Iraqi ambassador to the United States spoke on the final day of the US-Arab Economic Forum, which was attended by numerous officials from the Middle East as well as US officials, US business representatives and leaders of several Arab-American organizations.

1 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。

2 luncheon   

n.午宴，午餐，便宴

参考例句：

• We have luncheon at twelve o'clock.我们十二点钟用午餐。
• I have a luncheon engagement.我午饭有约。

3 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

4 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。

5 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

6 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

7 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

8 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

9 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

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 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

12 strife   

n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争

参考例句：

• We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
• Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。

13 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

14 reliability   

n.可靠性，确实性

参考例句：

• We mustn't presume too much upon the reliability of such sources.我们不应过分指望这类消息来源的可靠性。
• I can assure you of the reliability of the information.我向你保证这消息可靠。

15 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。

16 replicated   

复制( replicate的过去式和过去分词 )； 重复； 再造； 再生

参考例句：

• Later outplant the seedlings in a replicated permanent test plantation. 以后苗木出圃栽植成重复的永久性试验林。
• The phage has replicated and the donor cells have lysed. 噬菌体已复制和给体细胞已发生裂解。