VOA标准英语10月-Bush 'Hopeful' for Agreement on US Forces in Iraq

U.S. President George Bush says he is confident an agreement with Baghdad on the future status of American forces in Iraq can be approved before their U.N. mandate¹ expires on December 31. As VOA's Paula Wolfson reports, Mr. Bush spoke² after talks at the White House with the President of Iraq's Kurdish regional government, Massoud Barzani.
　

President Bush (r) and president of Iraq's northern Kurdish government, Massoud Barzani at the White House, 29 Oct 2008

Time is running out for completing the Status of Forces Agreement between Washington and Baghdad.

A draft accord is in hand after months of negotiations³, but the Iraqis have now proposed changes to the plan.

President Bush told Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani that the request will receive serious consideration.

"We are analyzing⁴ those amendments⁵," he said. "We obviously want to be helpful and constructive⁶ without undermining basic principles. And I remain very hopeful and confident that the SOFA [Status of Forces Agreement] will be passed."

But U.S. officials have warned that the bar for changes is set very high. They have indicated there is little desire in Washington to reopen negotiations on the substance of the deal.

At the same time, they say the agreement is vital, and that the door is not closed to possible changes in wording.

At the Pentagon, spokesman Geoff Morrell stressed the proposed changes will be studied carefully, deliberately⁷ and with respect.

"Strategic partners give each other the courtesy of listening to concerns," he said. "So the Iraqis have raised some concerns. We are now trying to translate them and figure out what precisely⁸ they are. And we will listen to them. We will evaluate them and we will make decisions based upon our understanding at that point."

No one in the Bush administration is commenting publicly on the specifics of the proposals. But an Iraqi government spokesman in Baghdad says the amendments include language that would ban U.S. forces from attacking neighboring countries from Iraqi territory. The proposed changes also deal with the legal rights of American troops in Iraq and the outlook for a drawdown of U.S. forces.

Some Iraqi officials have acknowledged that these changes will be difficult for the United States to accept, leaving open the possibility of seeking an extension of the U.N. forces mandate.

Pentagon spokesman Morrell told reporters Wednesday that Washington is heartened by statements from Moscow and other capitals on prospects⁹ for renewal¹⁰. But he stressed the focus remains¹¹ on reaching a Status of Forces Agreement on time.

1 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

2 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。

3 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。

4 analyzing   

v.分析；分析( analyze的现在分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析n.分析

参考例句：

• Analyzing the date of some socialist countries presents even greater problem s. 分析某些社会主义国家的统计数据，暴露出的问题甚至更大。 来自辞典例句
• He undoubtedly was not far off the mark in analyzing its predictions. 当然，他对其预测所作的分析倒也八九不离十。 来自辞典例句

5 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

6 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。

7 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

8 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

9 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

10 renewal   

adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来

参考例句：

• Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。

11 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。