2007年VOA标准英语-Australia Expresses Frustration at Slow Pace Of

By Phil Mercer
Sydney
27 August 2007

Australia has echoed American criticism of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, saying the pace of political reconciliation¹ under his government is too slow. Phil Mercer reports from Sydney, where Iraq is expected to be a major issue of discussion among leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum² next month.

Alexander Downer (01 Aug 2007 file photo)

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki should be doing more to bring about political unity³ in Iraq.

Canberra is frustrated⁴ that despite the signing of a pact⁵ among Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish leaders, a united Iraqi government supported by all main religious and ethnic⁶ factions⁷ does not appear to be any closer to reality.

Australia has about 1500 military personnel in and around Iraq, and has been a firm supporter of U.S. policy in that region since the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Foreign Minister Downer, who visited Baghdad in June, says the pace of political reform in Iraq has been far too sluggish⁸.

"Of course, what concerns us is that the political process - the reconciliation process - at the political level is moving too slowly," he said, "and I raised this when I was in Iraq with Prime Minister Maliki, so the National Intelligence Estimate will put still more pressure on Prime Minister Maliki to continue to move forward with the reconciliation process. There's a lot that needs to be done there."

The National Intelligence Estimate he referred to was a recent report on Iraq by U.S. security agencies. It concluded that the capabilities⁹ of al-Qaida in Iraq were declining, but it also warned that the Maliki-led government could become "more precarious¹⁰" over the next six to 12 months.

Despite these gloomy assessments¹¹ of the political situation, Downer is more upbeat about Iraq's security. He says security has been helped by the deployment¹² of 30 thousand extra U.S. troops, which were meant to give the Maliki government more time to make political progress.

Iraq is expected to dominate talks between Australian Prime Minister John Howard and President Bush during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum next month in Sydney.

Mr. Howard has expressed his frustration¹³ at Prime Minister Maliki's inability to make significant progress towards reconciliation among Iraq's main factions. In a newspaper interview, Mr. Howard described Mr. Maliki's performance as "disappointing."

In recent days Mr. Maliki has replied to criticism from senior U.S. politicians, including Senators Hillary Clinton and Carl Levin, who have called for his removal from office.

The embattled Iraqi leader said the American senators should "respect democracy."

1 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

2 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

3 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

4 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

6 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

7 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

8 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。

9 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

10 precarious   

adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的

参考例句：

• Our financial situation had become precarious.我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。
• He earned a precarious living as an artist.作为一个艺术家，他过得是朝不保夕的生活。

11 assessments   

n.评估( assessment的名词复数 )；评价；（应偿付金额的）估定；（为征税对财产所作的）估价

参考例句：

• He was shrewd in his personal assessments. 他总能对人作出精明的评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Surveys show about two-thirds use such assessments, while half employ personality tests. 调查表明，约有三分之二的公司采用了这种测评；而一半的公司则采用工作人员个人品质测试。 来自百科语句

12 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

13 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。