2007年VOA标准英语-Turkey's Foreign Minister Denies Islamic Agenda

By Amberin Zaman
Ankara
09 May 2007

Turkish FM Abdullah Gul, is seen after a vote for presidential elections in Parliament in Ankara, 06 May 2007

Turkey's foreign minister Abdullah Gul in an interview with VOA denied opposition¹ charges that his  Justice and Development Party is seeking a greater role for Islam in the government.  He was speaking just days after he withdrew his candidacy to become Turkey's new  president  because of a legal challenge mounted by his pro-secular opponents.  From the Turkish capital Ankara, Amberin Zaman has details for VOA.

Nibbling² on pastries³ and sipping⁴ tea at his quietly elegant residence in Ankara's Cankaya neighborhood,  foreign minister Abdullah Gul looks remarkably⁵ relaxed, even cheerful.  He betrays none of the political turmoil⁶ of the past two weeks that has engulfed⁷ his ruling Justice and Development Party - a wave of mass protests and  threats of intervention⁸ by the Turkish military on the grounds that it is leading Turkey towards Islamist rule.

Gul tells VOA in an interview that, if the ruling Justice and Development Party, better known as "AK,"  had a "hidden Islamist agenda,"  why  was it  working so hard to get Turkey into the European Union?

"First of all we the AK party and this government, my government, we succeeded to start the accession negotiations⁹ with the EU. There were two critical moments in 2004 and in 2005, to start the negotiations with EU, at the last moment we secured this and we anchored Turkey in European structures," Gul said.  "If we tried hard and succeeded this, how can you imagine that we have a hidden agenda. In order to start the   accession negotiations there was only one condition. The condition was to fulfill¹⁰ the Copenhagen  [political] criteria¹¹ in Turkey. Therefore so many reform packages have been passed in this country. All these reform packages were related to political issues, to democratic standards and to the adoption¹² of European style democracy in this country. We have passed so many so many legislations. We changed the   constitution. We lead [led] all these things. Why should we do all this if we have a hidden agenda?"  

Since coming to power four years ago, the government has adopted a wide range of reforms that convinced the European Union to open long delayed membership talks with Turkey in 2005. The death penalty has been scrapped¹³. The country's estimated 12 million Kurds enjoy greater cultural autonomy.  Women no longer require permission from their husbands to seek employment.

Yet over the past two weeks hundreds of thousands of Turks have taken to the streets to protest the government on the grounds that it is undermining the pro-secular tenets of the constitution laid down by the founder¹⁴ of modern Turkey, Kemal Ataturk. Many of the demonstrators were women. They did not want their country to be represented by a First Lady who covers her head.

Gul's wife, Hayrunnisa, wears the Islamic headscarf that is banned in government offices and schools.

The foreign minister insists that his wife's headscarf is a symbol of piety¹⁵ and has nothing to do with political Islam.  He asks for respect for her choice, adding that his government has never interfered¹⁶ with the private lives of its citizens.

"Well its obvious is there any single proof legislation, government decree that we imposed religious rules on the people?  We have been in the government four and a half years and very powerful. We have the  absolute majority in the parliament," Gul said. "Did we do anything or did they discover at the last moment something we were preparing to impose on the people? No. Just before the presidential election I declared a new reform package. It was the adoption of the EU acquis in Turkey. That was the calendar. So, therefore, I am really having difficulty understanding all this." 

On Sunday Gul announced he was withdrawing his candidacy for president to replace the incumbent¹⁷ Ahmet Necdet Sezer when he retires on May 16.  Gul's announcement came after opposition parties boycotted¹⁸ a second round of voting in the parliament to elect a new president.

Prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called early elections for July 22 in the hope of breaking the political deadlock¹⁹.

The government is also pushing for constitutional changes providing that voters, not the parliament,  elect the president.  Whether the constitutional amendment²⁰ is adopted or not, Gul says he is determined²¹ to run  again.

And if elected, he says, his top priority will be to lead Turkey into the European Union.

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 nibbling   

v.啃，一点一点地咬（吃）( nibble的现在分词 )；啃出（洞），一点一点咬出（洞）；慢慢减少；小口咬

参考例句：

• We sat drinking wine and nibbling olives. 我们坐在那儿，喝着葡萄酒嚼着橄榄。
• He was nibbling on the apple. 他在啃苹果。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 pastries   

n.面粉制的糕点

参考例句：

• He gave a dry laugh, then sat down and started on the pastries. 杜新箨说着干笑一声，坐下去就吃点心。 来自子夜部分
• Mike: So many! I like Xijiang raisins, beef jerky, and local pastries. 麦克：太多了。我最喜欢吃新疆葡萄干、牛肉干和风味点心。

4 sipping   

v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She sat in the sun, idly sipping a cool drink. 她坐在阳光下懒洋洋地抿着冷饮。
• She sat there, sipping at her tea. 她坐在那儿抿着茶。

5 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

6 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

7 engulfed   

v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was engulfed by a crowd of reporters. 他被一群记者团团围住。
• The little boat was engulfed by the waves. 小船被波浪吞没了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

9 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

10 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

11 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。

12 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

13 scrapped   

废弃(scrap的过去式与过去分词)； 打架

参考例句：

• This machine is so old that it will soon have to be scrapped. 这架机器太旧，快报废了。
• It had been thought that passport controls would be scrapped. 人们曾认为会放开护照管制。

14 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

15 piety   

n.虔诚，虔敬

参考例句：

• They were drawn to the church not by piety but by curiosity.他们去教堂不是出于虔诚而是出于好奇。
• Experience makes us see an enormous difference between piety and goodness.经验使我们看到虔诚与善意之间有着巨大的区别。

16 interfered   

v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉

参考例句：

• Complete absorption in sports interfered with his studies. 专注于运动妨碍了他的学业。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I am not going to be interfered with. 我不想别人干扰我的事情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 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。

18 boycotted   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Athletes from several countries boycotted the Olympic Games. 有好几国的运动员抵制奥林匹克运动会。
• The opposition party earlier boycotted the Diet agenda, demanding Miyaji's resignation. 反对党曾杯葛国会议程，要宫路下台。

19 deadlock   

n.僵局，僵持

参考例句：

• The negotiations reached a deadlock after two hours.两小时后，谈判陷入了僵局。
• The employers and strikers are at a deadlock over the wage.雇主和罢工者在工资问题上相持不下。

20 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

21 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。