voa标准英语2008-Iraq Arrests Alleged Coup Plotters

A senior Iraqi security official say as many as 50 Interior Ministry¹ officials have been arrested during the past three days for allegedly "trying to topple the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki." But some reports say many of those arrested were traffic police involved in corruption³.
　

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki waves during reopening of Mutanabi Street in Baghdad, 18 Dec 2008

Several officials in Iraq's Interior Ministry have reportedly been arrested for allegedly plotting to overthrow⁴ the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

One high-level Interior Ministry official put the number of arrests at around 50, but ministry spokesman General Abdul-Karim Khalaf said only 23 officers had been arrested, all in the traffic division.

Infighting between political factions⁵ in the Interior Ministry appears to be fueling the inconsistent reports. One ministry official claimed those arrested belong to the underground Sunni "Al-Awdah" group, which wants to revive the outlawed⁶ "Ba'ath" Party of deposed⁷ dictator Saddam Hussein.

Parliament Member Abbas Bayati of the United Iraqi Alliance Party, told Al-Arabiya TV that talk of a coup⁸ was exaggerated, but investigators⁹ had uncovered and arrested an underground cell of around 30 to 35 officers in the Interior Ministry.

Ba'ath party was outlawed in April 2003

Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath Party controlled Iraq briefly¹⁰ in 1963, and again from 1968 until it was overthrown¹¹ by the U.S.-led invasion in April 2003. The party was outlawed during the initial U.S.-run Iraqi administration under Ambassador Paul Bremer and thousands of Ba'ath Party civil servants were purged¹² from the government.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and his three-member Presidential Council reversed that decision earlier this year, allowing many former Ba'ath Party members to reclaim¹³ their old jobs.

Were those arrested plotting coup?

Professor Paul Salem, who heads the Beirut-based Carnegie Center for Peace in the Middle East, thinks it is somewhat implausible those arrested were plotting a coup.

"I mean, the idea of trying to stage a coup, today, in Baghdad is unrealistic, given the presence of U.S. forces, and the dominance they have there. It is not as if you walk into some office in Baghdad and you remove a prime minister or another official and you can command the country," said Salem.

Salem also thinks political positioning before January's provincial¹⁴ elections could have something to do with the announcement of an alleged² coup.

"Iraq, today, is a hot-bed of different political factions, each with their own armed groups and militias¹⁵. Many of these militias are in the government in various branches of the security forces, both in the army and in the police and in some of the paramilitary and irregular groups. It is kind of a free for all, to some degree, and there is so much infighting and so much back-biting, both within communities and across communities, and unfortunately it is a rampant¹⁶ pattern in politics in Iraq, today," said Salem.

Some analysts¹⁷ think Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is trying to burnish¹⁸ his image as a statesman, after losing some popular support during the parliamentary debate to approve the new U.S.-Iraqi military pact¹⁹.

1 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

2 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

3 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

4 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

5 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

6 outlawed   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Most states have outlawed the use of marijuana. 大多数州都宣布使用大麻为非法行为。
• I hope the sale of tobacco will be outlawed someday. 我希望有朝一日烟草制品会禁止销售。

7 deposed   

v.罢免( depose的过去式和过去分词 )；（在法庭上）宣誓作证

参考例句：

• The president was deposed in a military coup. 总统在军事政变中被废黜。
• The head of state was deposed by the army. 国家元首被军队罢免了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

9 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

11 overthrown   

adj. 打翻的，推倒的，倾覆的 动词overthrow的过去分词

参考例句：

• The president was overthrown in a military coup. 总统在军事政变中被赶下台。
• He has overthrown the basic standards of morality. 他已摒弃了基本的道德标准。

12 purged   

清除（政敌等）( purge的过去式和过去分词 )； 涤除（罪恶等）； 净化（心灵、风气等）； 消除（错事等）的不良影响

参考例句：

• He purged his enemies from the Party. 他把他的敌人从党内清洗出去。
• The iron in the chemical compound must be purged. 化学混合物中的铁必须清除。

13 reclaim   

v.要求归还，收回；开垦

参考例句：

• I have tried to reclaim my money without success.我没能把钱取回来。
• You must present this ticket when you reclaim your luggage.当你要取回行李时，必须出示这张票子。

14 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。

15 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

16 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。

17 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。

18 burnish   

v.磨光；使光滑

参考例句：

• Many people,fearful for their jobs,are trying to burnish their contacts at other firms.许多人因为担心自己的工作，正在努力抹去和其他公司接触的痕迹。
• I burnish joyful sparks from my sorrows.我从伤痛里擦亮喜悦的火花。

19 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。