2007年VOA标准英语-On Iraq Visit, Bush Pushes Iraqis to Work Toget

By Al Pessin
Al-Asad, Iraq
04 September 2007

One of the main purposes of President Bush's surprise visit to Iraq Monday, along with his secretaries of State and Defense¹ and senior military commanders, was to push Iraqi leaders along the difficult road toward political reconciliation². VOA's Al Pessin was at the remote, desert air base in al-Anbar Province where the meetings took place. He filed this report on the president's effort.

U.S. President Bush and Iraqi leaders gather in al-Anbar, 03 Sep 2007

Reporters were allowed to see a striking sight for about 30 seconds before the most important meeting of the trip began. President Bush sat at a large conference table with local Sunni tribal³ sheikhs in traditional dress sitting alongside him. The top Iraqi leaders from Baghdad sat across the table, and provincial⁴ and military officials sat at the ends. Because there was no more room at the table, the president's secretaries of state and defense, national security adviser⁵ and several top military officers in combat camouflage⁶ sat behind him.

It took a visit from the president of the United States to get these Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish Iraqis together in one room. The president's message was that they have to work together in spite of their different backgrounds and ingrained distrust.

"They're here in Anbar because they know the success of a free Iraq depends on the national government's support from the bottom up," said President Bush. "They know what I know, that when you have bottom-up reconciliation like you're seeing here in Anbar, it'll begin to translate into central government action."

Robert Gates speaks to reporters in Iraq, 03 Sep 2007

Later, the U.S. defense secretary, Robert Gates, described a lively exchange at the meeting, in which some tribal leaders expressed surprise at efforts the national government is making, like sharing oil revenue with their province.

"There was I think a good feeling, and each of the elements - there were also some military in there, we had the provincial governor there, we had the sheikhs and we had the national leaders - and I would say that there was a sense of shared purpose among them, that they were all in this together," he said. "And then there was what I considered some good-natured jousting⁷ about resources, and who's going to get what."

The question remains⁸ whether the Iraqi leaders will continue to work together without President Bush at the table. U.S. officials say that is essential to solidify⁹ gains made by the surge of U.S. forces and the counterinsurgency strategy.

U.S. President Bush (center), speaks to reporters in al-Anbar, Iraq, with Defense Secretary Robert Gates (l) and Secreatary of State Condoleeza Rice (r), 03 Sep 2007

President Bush, Secretary Gates and other officials credited those changes with helping¹⁰ to convince the Anbar tribal leaders to stop fighting U.S. and Iraqi forces and instead join them in fighting against al-Qaida.

"It was said explicitly¹¹ today that for the first time, a Middle Eastern people got to see what rule by al-Qaida would be like, and the Iraqis rejected it," said Secretary Gates.

Earlier, a senior official traveling with Secretary Gates, speaking on condition of anonymity¹², had called the tribal sheikhs' turnaround "unexpected" and "almost serendipitous¹³."

But other officials, including President Bush, later rejected that characterization, saying the surge of 4,000 U.S. Marines in Anbar several months ago was designed, in part, to convince the tribal leaders that the coalition¹⁴ is committed to defeating al-Qaida.

Now, the U.S. officials say, it is up to the Iraqi government to move the reconciliation process forward, in Anbar and elsewhere, to create more security and stability, and allow for the withdrawal¹⁵ of U.S. troops.

Many members of Congress are calling for the withdrawal to start by the end of the year, but combat commanders have said that would be too soon. President Bush said Monday if current trends continue, a withdrawal will be possible, but he did not say when. He is expected to expand on his view after key testimony¹⁶ before Congress next week by two men he met with on Monday - U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and the top U.S. military commander in the country, General David Petraeus.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 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。

3 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

4 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

5 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

6 camouflage   

n./v.掩饰，伪装

参考例句：

• The white fur of the polar bear is a natural camouflage.北极熊身上的白色的浓密软毛是一种天然的伪装。
• The animal's markings provide effective camouflage.这种动物身上的斑纹是很有效的伪装。

7 jousting   

（骑士）骑马用长矛比武( joust的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The players happily jousting inside the castle walls didn't see the moat outside widening. 玩家在城墙上幸福地战斗的时候，没有注意到护城河已经开始扩张了。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 solidify   

v.(使)凝固，(使)固化，(使)团结

参考例句：

• Opinion on this question began to solidify.对这个问题的意见开始具体化了。
• Water will solidify into ice if you freeze it.水冷冻会结冰。

10 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

11 explicitly   

ad.明确地，显然地

参考例句：

• The plan does not explicitly endorse the private ownership of land. 该计划没有明确地支持土地私有制。
• SARA amended section 113 to provide explicitly for a right to contribution. 《最高基金修正与再授权法案》修正了第123条，清楚地规定了分配权。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

12 anonymity   

n.the condition of being anonymous

参考例句：

• Names of people in the book were changed to preserve anonymity. 为了姓名保密，书中的人用的都是化名。
• Our company promises to preserve the anonymity of all its clients. 我们公司承诺不公开客户的姓名。

13 serendipitous   

adj.偶然发现的

参考例句：

• There was a serendipitous second advantage working with a library of equations. 利用方程库有个意外收获的附带好处。 来自互联网
• Strategic networking prepares us for serendipitous moments. 战略性人际交往让我们为不时之需做好准备。 来自互联网

14 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

15 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

16 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。