VOA标准英语2008年-Musharraf Says Al-Qaida and Taliban No Threat t

By Lisa Bryant
Paris
22 January 2008

Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf downplayed fears Tuesday that Islamist militants¹ are gaining strength in Pakistan. His remarks came during a visit to Paris that included talks with his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy. Lisa Bryant has more from the French capital.

Speaking at the French Institute of International Relations, President Musharraf downplayed recent clashes between Pakistani forces and Islamic militants on the country's border with Afghanistan.

"When we have an armed forces of Pakistan of 500,000 standing² army and second line forces, I don't think it's possible that this al-Qaida, or the Taliban, can take over Pakistan," said Pervez Musharraf.

Mr. Musharraf spoke³ on the second stop of a European tour aimed at convincing skeptical⁴ leaders here of his committment to democracy and human rights and his fight against terrorism. He was in Brussels Monday, where he met with NATO and European Union officials, including EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

On Tuesday, Mr. Musharraf also held talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. A French presidential spokesman told the AFP news agency that France will continue to support Islamabad in its fight against terrorism, and that all nations have an interest in a stable and democratic Pakistan.

But Pakistan analyst⁵ Farzana Shaikh of Cambridge University in England, says Mr. Musharraf has yet to convince many European lawmakers he is committed to democracy.

"If we are to go by the statements of the EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana yesterday, I think President Musharraf still has an uphill task," said Farzana Shaikh. "Solana made it very clear that future engagements would depend very much on President Musharraf making enough of a case that [parliamentary] elections would be free and fair and that Pakistan was serious about the restoration of the rule of law."

Mr. Musharraf next heads for Davos, Switzerland, where top business and political leaders are gathering⁶ for the World Economic Forum⁷. His last stop is in London, where he holds talks with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

1 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 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。

4 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

5 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

6 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

7 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。