2007年VOA标准英语-Iranian President Rejects US Allegations About

By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
14 August 2007

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spent the day in the Afghan capital, part of a three-nation tour of Central Asia. The visit comes as Afghanistan faces growing U.S. scrutiny¹ over its relationship with neighbor Iran. From Islamabad, VOA correspondent Benjamin Sand reports the Iranian leader denied U.S. charges that Tehran supports Afghanistan's Taleban insurgency².

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, center, and Hamid Karzai, left, inspect guard of honor prior to meeting at Presidential palace in Kabul, 14 Aug 2007

It was President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's first trip to Kabul and he used the occasion to highlight Tehran's support for its South Asian neighbor.

He also sharply rejected U.S. allegations that Iran is supplying weapons to Afghan insurgents³.

He says the United States is making the same charges about Iraq but he has serious doubts about the accusations⁴. He says Washington is opposed to Iran and Afghanistan's strong ties.

The Iranian leader spoke⁵ Tuesday during a joint⁶ conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
 
Mr. Karzai was positive in describing his country's relationship with Iran.

He told reporters he believed Afghanistan could help improve relations between Iran and the United States, both of whom he described as important allies.

While in power the Sunni Muslim Taleban were violently anti-Iran, which is a predominantly Shi'ite.

Iran is one of Afghanistan's leading trade partners and is funding a series of assistance projects including highways, hospitals and power stations.

But U.S. officials insist Tehran is also a major obstacle to Afghan peace and prosperity.

Iranian-made weapons have been flooding the country. U.S. and NATO authorities say the arms increasingly end up in the hands of pro-Taleban insurgents.

U.S. officials say there is no direct evidence of Tehran's involvement but suspicions are on the rise.

Iran's influence in Afghanistan is now a growing source of tension between Kabul and Washington.

President Bush recently met with Mr. Karzai for two days at the presidential retreat in Camp David.

Speaking to reporters afterward⁷ Mr. Bush said concerns remain regarding Tehran's role in Afghanistan.

"The president (Karzai) knows best about what's taking place in his country and of course I'm willing to listen but from my perspective the burden of proof is on the Iranian government to show us that they're a positive force," Mr. Bush said.

Political experts say Iran, under pressure from U.S. and European countries over its controversial nuclear program, may in fact be playing both sides of the Afghan conflict. 

Security analysts⁸ suspect Tehran may see the growing insecurity in Iraq and Afghanistan as a means of thwarting⁹ U.S. influence in the region.

The Iranian president visits Turkmenistan later Tuesday and then Kyrgyzstan to attend a summit of the regional Shanghai Cooperation Organization. 

1 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

2 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

3 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

4 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

7 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

8 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

9 thwarting   

阻挠( thwart的现在分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过

参考例句：

• The republicans are trying to embarrass the president by thwarting his economic program. 共和党人企图通过阻挠总统的经济计划使其难堪。
• There were too many men resisting his authority thwarting him. 下边对他这个长官心怀不服的，故意作对的，可多着哩。