2007年VOA标准英语-US to Accept More Iraqi Refugees, Increase Reli

By David Gollust
Washington
14 February 2007

The Bush administration said Wednesday it plans to accept at least 7,000 Iraqi refugees for resettlement in the United States this year, and to step up funding to the U.N. refugee agency. The announcement followed a meeting between Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the U.N. High Commissioner¹ for Refugees Antonio Guterres. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

Iraqi refugees in Syria (file photo)

The Iraqis to be admitted represent a big increase for the United States, which has resettled fewer than 500 Iraqi refugees since the Iraq war began in 2003.

But both Commissioner Guterres and Bush administration officials concede the number is little more than the proverbial drop in the ocean, given the nearly four million Iraqis who are either internally displaced or have taken refuge in neighboring countries.

They say the overriding² needs are for the international community to increase humanitarian³ assistance for the refugees, and for the restoration of peace in Iraq to allow those who have fled to return home.

At a news conference following a day of meetings with the U.N. refugee chief, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration⁴ Ellen Sauerbrey said the vast majority of displaced Iraqis neither seek nor require permanent refuge abroad. "There is a perception I think that there is a huge number of people just waiting to leave their country or their region and come to be resettled elsewhere. In reality, this refugee crisis is no different than those that we deal with throughout the world. And most people do not want to resettle in another country. Most people want to stay in the region, certainly have their needs met, but they want to go home," she said.

In addition to the resettlement commitment, administration officials said the United States will contribute 18 million dollars to a 60-million dollar special Iraqi refugee fund being set up by the U.N. refugee agency.

Commissioner Guterres, a former Portuguese⁵ prime minister, said his agency will hold a donor⁶ conference in Geneva in April to try to further assist displaced Iraqis, more than 40,000 of whom are fleeing the country each month and have dwindling⁷ options of where to go.

Guterres, just back from a Middle East tour, paid tribute to countries hosting Iraqi refugees - particularly Jordan and Syria, which have accepted most of the estimated two million who have gone abroad.

He said many of the Iraqis were from the country's middle class but are becoming increasingly impoverished⁸ and desperate over time, and he said he is concerned about the danger of a political backlash against them. "I must say I am particularly worried about the evolution of public opinion in these two countries. Listening to cab drivers, to average citizens, people are feeling more and more that many of the problems they face because of inflation, because of difficulty to find flats if they want to marry a daughter or a son, are due to the presence of Iraqi refugees," he said.

Despite strained bilateral⁹ relations, the United States has begun a political dialogue with the Syrian government over the refugee issue in recent days and is preparing to begin interviews with refugees in Syria about possible U.S. resettlement.

Assistant Secretary Sauerbrey said separate arrangements are being made to assist several thousand Iraqis, most still in that country, who may be endangered because of having served as interpreters or in other capacities with the U.S. military and civilian¹⁰ agencies.

1 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

2 overriding   

a.最主要的

参考例句：

• Development is of overriding importance. 发展是硬道理
• My overriding concern is to raise the standards of state education. 我最关心的是提高国民教育水平。

3 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

4 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

5 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

6 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

7 dwindling   

adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The number of wild animals on the earth is dwindling. 地球上野生动物的数量正日渐减少。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is struggling to come to terms with his dwindling authority. 他正努力适应自己权力被削弱这一局面。 来自辞典例句

8 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

10 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。