2007年VOA标准英语-Ambassador Nominations Complete Iraq Policy Sha

By David Gollust
State Department
08 January 2007

President Bush Monday completed a shake-up of key Iraq policy posts by nominating new U.S. ambassadors to the United Nations and Baghdad. The U.S. envoy¹ to Iraq, Zalmay Khalizad, will take the United Nations post, while the current ambassador to Pakistan, Ryan Crocker, goes to Baghdad. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

 
Zalmay Khalizad (2005 photo)
The long-anticipated ambassadorial changes complete a new administration policy team that is to implement² the Iraq strategy President Bush will announce in a broadcast address Wednesday night.

The shakeup began just after the November U.S. election, with the replacement³ of Donald Rumsfeld with Robert Gates as defense⁴ secretary.

It continued last week with appointment a new director of national intelligence, Mike McConnell, while the incumbent⁵ in that post, John Negroponte, was named to be Deputy Secretary of State with major responsibilities for Iraq.

Top commanders for the U.S. military forces in Iraq are also being replaced, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice confirmed the ambassadorial moves in a brief press appearance here.

She said Ambassador Khalilzad, the Bush administration's highest ranking Muslim, will move to the United Nations post which has been vacant since the interim⁶ appointment of John Bolton expired last month.

 
Condoleezza Rice 
"This work is a tall order," said Condoleezza Rice. "It demands a skilled and experienced diplomat⁷ with proven ability to lead from principle, and to build consensus⁸ and get results. And few Americans have distinguished⁹ themselves in this regard as much as Zal. As our ambassador to Iraq these past 18 months, a time of extraordinary change and extraordinary challenge, Zal has performed heroically and at great personal risk to help Iraqi reformers and responsible leaders build a foundation of democracy in their country."

The Afghan-born Khalilzad had previously¹⁰ been U.S. ambassador in Kabul, where Rice said he helped the people of his ancestral homeland step out of the shadows of conflict to begin a new future of hope.

She said his replacement in Baghdad, Ryan Crocker, is one of the most experienced members of the U.S. diplomatic corps¹¹, an ambassador to Lebanon, Kuwait, Syria and currently Pakistan, and with experience in both Baghdad and Kabul:

"Ryan Crocker is known and respected throughout our government, throughout the Middle East, and throughout the world," she said. "He knows the language and culture of the region as well as the leaders and the societies they lead. He will work effectively with the leadership of our military, as he has done in Pakistan. He will work well with our coalition¹² partners and he will work well with the new Iraqi government. Ryan will be a demanding boss in our embassy, you can be sure of that, but a fair and inspiring one."

The 57-year-old Crocker, who survived the 1983 bombing of the U.S. embassy in Beirut, was reportedly considering retirement¹³ before being tapped for the Baghdad job, where he will preside over the largest U.S. diplomatic post in the world.

Ambassador Khalilzad, educated at the American University in Beirut, was a State Department policy adviser¹⁴ in the 1980's. Before becoming the first American ambassador to Afghanistan following the U.S.-led invasion of 2001, he was a National Security Council adviser to President Bush on Southwest Asia and Islamic affairs.

1 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

2 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。

3 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

4 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。

5 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

6 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

7 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。

8 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

9 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

10 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

11 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

12 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

13 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

14 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。