2006年VOA标准英语-Bush to Meet Iraqi Prime Minister

By Paula Wolfson
White House
25 July 2006

 
President Bush 
  
President Bush meets Tuesday at the White House with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The talks come at a time of ongoing¹ sectarian violence in Iraq.

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They will look for a way to secure Baghdad.

White House Spokesman Tony Snow said the security plan put into effect in Baghdad six weeks ago by the Maliki government has not produced results. He says the president and the prime minister will look at other ways to end the violence in the capital city. "We realize that he's got some real work ahead in securing Baghdad, and that needs to be done, and it needs to be done in a way that is going to provide stability in the city, so people can go about their daily affairs without the fear of terrorism," he said.

Snow told reporters the security situation in Baghdad remains² a big problem, even though conditions are improving in other parts of the country. "There are parts of Iraq where life is proceeding³ with a fair degree of normalcy, where people are enjoying greater economic opportunity and they're enjoying the fruits of democracy. You've got a problem in Baghdad, and that is -- it's absolutely critical to address that," he said.

There are indications that one option under consideration is moving U.S. and Iraqi troops into Baghdad from other parts of the country. Snow refused to say if an announcement would come during Prime Minister Maliki's visit. But he did confirm the Iraqi leader has been consulting with General George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

Mr. Maliki came to Washington from London, where he met with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. While there, he confirmed a U.N. report that almost 100 civilians⁴ died in Iraq, on average, every day in May and June. Speaking to British radio, the Iraqi prime minister said militants⁵ trying to drag his country into a civil war must be stopped.

Here in Washington, congressional critics of the Bush administration say that civil war may already be under way. At a White House briefing, Snow said their comments may be prompted by election year politics in the United States.

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

4 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

5 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。