VOA常速英语2008年-US, Britain Urge NATO Allies to Boost Afghan Mi

By Sonja Pace
London
06 February 2008

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warns that the military fight in Afghanistan will be long, hard and a real test for NATO. She was speaking in London, where she held meetings with British leaders, as VOA's Sonja Pace reports from the British capital.

 

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice came to London for a one-day visit to shore up support from America's staunchest ally. She met with Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Foreign Secretary David Miliband. How to beef up NATO involvement in Afghanistan was to be the main topic of discussion.

Speaking briefly¹ to reporters, Rice said Afghanistan is a real test for the NATO alliance.

"We shouldn't underestimate the transformation² that NATO itself has gone through in being able to really learn how to fight this fight," she said. "This is a different fight than NATO was structured to do. It's taken some time, it may take some more time, but if the commitment is there and the will is there."

NATO currently has more than 40,000 troops in Afghanistan - the bulk of which are made up of U.S. troops of about 16,000. The United States has more than 13,000 soldiers on the ground operating independently of NATO and is planning to send in several thousand more. Britain has nearly 8,000 soldiers in the NATO mission in Afghanistan. Both countries want to see other NATO partners step up their participation³.

That has been the American message and one that Prime Minister Gordon Brown repeated in parliament just hours before he met with Rice.

"We [Britain] have 15 percent of the troops in Afghanistan, other countries, including Spain and France, have made announcements to add to the troops in Afghanistan, but we need a proper burden-sharing, not only in terms of personnel, but also in terms of helicopters and other equipment," Brown said.

Afghanistan is expected to be a key issue in meetings of NATO ministers in the weeks to come and at the NATO summit in Bucharest in early April.

The United States has been critical of some NATO allies for not sending enough troops and for not operating in the most volatile⁴ areas of the country, where U.S. forces are fighting against a resurgence⁵ of the Taliban and al-Qaida-linked insurgents⁶.

Secretary Rice acknowledged the fight in Afghanistan will be long and difficult.

"Our populations need to understand that this is not a peacekeeping mission; this is a counter insurgency⁷ fight and that's different," she said.

Her talks in London follow a dire⁸ assessment⁹ of the situation in Afghanistan earlier this week. In a report, the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, warned that Afghanistan is on the verge¹⁰ of becoming a failed state.

1 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。

2 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

3 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

4 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

5 resurgence   

n.再起，复活，再现

参考例句：

• A resurgence of his grief swept over Nim.悲痛又涌上了尼姆的心头。
• Police say drugs traffickers are behind the resurgence of violence.警方说毒贩是暴力活动重新抬头的罪魁祸首。

6 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

7 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

8 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

9 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

10 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。