VOA常速英语2007年-US Lawmakers Urge Caution on Intelligence Repor

By Dan Robinson
Washington
13 December 2007

Some lawmakers in the U.S. Congress continue to caution that the recent U.S. intelligence report on Iran's nuclear program does not support a conclusion that Iran has given up its ambitions to develop a nuclear weapon. VOA's Dan Robinson reports from Capitol Hill.

In the two weeks since the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) was issued, Brad Sherman has been busy issuing statements drawing attention to what says are two important facts.

First, says the California Democrat², the 3,000 centrifuges at Iran's Natanz nuclear facility can provide enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon by the middle of the next decade.

Second, suspension of weapons development, occurring according to the intelligence report in 2003, does not mean Iran ceased efforts to develop fissile material and will not decide at some point to resume.

Joined by four other House lawmakers, Sherman used a news conference to drive home these points, asserting the media has paid too much attention to Iran's suspension, and not enough on remaining risks posed by Iranian ambitions.

 

"It is going to take them several years to get the fissile material. It does them no harm to wait. So they get a huge diplomatic, press and public relations advantage by suspending that program and it does not delay their nuclear efforts by a single day," he said.

Republican Representative Ed Royce agrees with Sherman's assertion that media reporting has been dominated by the suspension issue. "I would argue that the interpretation³ that we are seeing reported, in magazines like TIME magazine, is misrepresenting the actual facts on the ground in Iran and the development of their program as they increasingly develop the inventory⁴ of enriched uranium and plutonium that they need for their program," he said.

Congressman⁵ Pete Hoekstra, a former Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee frames the issue in terms of the overall level of confidence Congress has in intelligence reporting. "Maybe we ought to encourage the [intelligence] community to be a little bit more cautious about making definitive⁶ statements to us, as policy makers¹, to the American people, and to the world about what we do and don't know and what we believe about some of the threats that we face as a nation," he said.

Hoekstra says there must be a general improvement in U.S. intelligence-gathering, particularly human methods as opposed to technical intelligence-gathering capabilities⁷.

Citing the large gap between the reported 2003 Iranian suspension and the issuing of the latest intelligence finding, Democratic Congresswoman Diane Watson suggests that the U.S. intelligence system has failed. "I would say to all of us that we must move with caution. We must demand better and more effective intelligence, and we the policy makers must know as much as we can so we can frame our foreign policy where the rest of our European allies and those few that we have in the Middle East can support us. We have lost a great deal of our credibility," she said.

This week, Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad pointed⁸ to the U.S. report as proof that President Bush was wrong in his assertions about Iranian nuclear weapons efforts. On Wednesday, President Bush called Iran a danger and repeated his call for it to explain why it had a nuclear weapons program in the first place.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino had this response when asked about the Iranian leader's suggestion that the report could be a step forward toward improvements in the U.S.-Iranian relationship. "I just think that is fanciful thinking on his part, [by] (Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad. I refer you to Secretary Gates' comment on Saturday. If they are now saying that our intelligence report is correct, this was like the first time in history that Iran has said that is true, and if that is the case, do they also agree that they are enriching uranium for a possible nuclear weapon in the future? Are they also testing these ballistic missiles which would be a delivery system for a future nuclear weapon?," she said.

The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Democrat Ike Skelton, has said while the finding that Iran suspended weapons efforts in 2003 is encouraging and a sign international pressure may have been an important factor, Iran still has the capacity to eventually produce nuclear weapons, and the United States must remain vigilant⁹.

Ongoing¹⁰ controversy¹¹ over the Iran intelligence report makes it certain that Democratic-led committees are likely to hold hearings in the new congressional session that begins in January about the confidence of U.S. intelligence officials in their findings about Iran's nuclear program.

1 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 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。

3 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。

4 inventory   

n.详细目录，存货清单

参考例句：

• Some stores inventory their stock once a week.有些商店每周清点存货一次。
• We will need to call on our supplier to get more inventory.我们必须请供应商送来更多存货。

5 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

6 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

7 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

8 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

9 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。

10 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。

11 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。