VOA常速英语2007年-US Official Defends Aid to Pakistan

By Deborah Tate
Washington
07 December 2007

A senior U.S. State Department official predicts elections in Pakistan scheduled for January 8 will not be perfect, but he says it will be an important step in the country's transition to democracy. At a congressional hearing on Capitol Hill, the official defended U.S. aid to Pakistan, a key ally in the war on terror. VOA's Deborah Tate reports.

Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher offered his prediction about upcoming parliamentary elections in Pakistan. "It is not going to be perfect," he said.

Opposition¹ groups in Pakistan believe the elections will not be fair, saying election authorities, the judiciary and local officials support those in President Musharraf's party.

But in testimony² before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Assistant Secretary Boucher remained optimistic. "If we keep working at it, and they keep working at it, and they do what they pledge, with President Musharaff and the political party leaders have pledged, they can have an election that really does reflect the choices made by the people of Pakistan.," he said.

The hearing was disrupted by a protester who took issue with Boucher's assessment³. "How can the U.S. believe Musharraf will allow free and fair elections in Pakistan? Musharraf is a dictator!"

The protester was escorted out of the room.

Boucher said he believes that President Musharraf will lift the state of emergency on December 16 as he has pledged, saying the Pakistani leader made good on his vow⁴ to remove his military uniform and serve as civilian⁵ president.

But some Senate Democrats⁷ challenged the Bush administration's support for Musharraf and questioned the 10 billion dollars in U.S. assistance given to Pakistan since 2001.

"In spite of that $10 billion, al Qaida and the Taliban have a safe-haven in the FATA (Federally Administered Tribal⁸ Areas) region, Osama bin⁹ Laden¹⁰ is still on the loose in the region, anti-Americanism remains¹¹ high, and Pakistan's president has repeatedly exercised the powers of a dictator. Do we dare call our policies in that respect a success?," said Senator Robert Menendez, a New Jersey¹² Democrat⁶.

Boucher defended the aid, saying that country's success as a nation is essential to U.S. security. And he said the United States has played a positive role in moving Pakistan toward democratic change:

"Part of the reason why we are in a period of transition to democracy right now, part of the reason why there are political leaders in Pakistan contesting elections that will be held in a month, part of the reason why the state of emergency once imposed is going to be lifted soon is because of the role of the United States," he said.

Much of the U.S. aid to Pakistan since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States has been spent to reimburse¹³ Islamabad for its assistance in the war on terrorism.

After President Musharraf imposed the state of emergency on November 3, the State Department began a review of U.S. assistance.

Boucher said $200 million in U.S. aid previously¹⁴ dispensed¹⁵ by the Pakistani treasury¹⁶ would now be spent directly by U.S. agencies for health and education programs.

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

3 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

4 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

5 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

6 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

7 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

9 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

10 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

11 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。

12 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

13 reimburse   

v.补偿，付还

参考例句：

• We'll reimburse you for your travelling expenses.我们将付还你旅费。
• The funds are supposed to reimburse policyholders in the event of insurer failure.这项基金将在保险公司不能偿付的情况下对投保人进行赔付。

14 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。

15 dispensed   

v.分配( dispense的过去式和过去分词 )；施与；配（药）

参考例句：

• Not a single one of these conditions can be dispensed with. 这些条件缺一不可。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• They dispensed new clothes to the children in the orphanage. 他们把新衣服发给孤儿院的小孩们。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

16 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。