VOA常速英语2008年-Gates: NATO May Supply More Troops for Afghanis

By Al Pessin
Munich
08 February 2008

U.S. Defense¹ Secretary Robert Gates says he believes some NATO allies will provide more troops for Afghanistan soon, as he has been urging.  And he says he will use his current trip to Europe to try to convince ordinary Europeans to support such moves by their governments.  The secretary spoke² to reporters on his plane enroute to Munich, following a NATO defense ministers' meeting in Lithuania.  VOA's Al Pessin reports.

Secretary Gates says he came out of the Vlinius meetings optimistic that NATO will come closer to sending the number of troops to Afghanistan that its military commanders say they need.

"A number of the allies are considering what more they might be able to do," he said.  "I don't think anybody made any announcement.  I don't think anybody's made any commitments.  But I just have the impression from my conversations."

Secretary Gates and other officials hinted that France might soon announce an increase in its contingent³ in Afghanistan, a move he said would be "a big step."  But the secretary says he also understands some European governments are limited in what they can do because of opposition⁴ from their people, something he is trying to help them reduce during this visit to the continent.

"Parts of my speech at the Munich Security Conference on Sunday will be directed at Europeans, not their governments in an effort to try and explain why their security is tied to success in Afghanistan, and how success in Afghanistan impacts the future of the alliance," he added.

Secretary Gates says he believes some European opposition to sending troops to Afghanistan is based on confusion.

"I worry that for many Europeans, the missions in Iraq and Afghanistan are confused," he explained.  "And what I want to try and focus on is why Afghanistan is important to Europe.  Many of them, I think, have a problem with our involvement in Iraq, and project that on Afghanistan, and don't understand, for them, the very different kind of threat."

Secretary Gates pointed⁵ out that the September 11 attacks in 2001 were engineered from Afghanistan, and that some attacks in Europe were, too.  U.S. officials say if Afghanistan is allowed to become a failed state again, it could also again become a safe haven⁶ for international terrorists.

At Secretary Gates' urging, NATO officials are finalizing⁷ a five-year strategic document for consideration by alliance leaders at their summit in Bucharest in April.  The secretary says the document should lay out what NATO wants to accomplish in Afghanistan, and benchmarks for measuring progress.

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 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 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

6 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

7 finalizing   

vt.完成（finalize的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• You may edit registered information any time during the finalizing period. 您可以在规定期限内随时编辑修改注册资料。 来自互联网
• Natsun Trimming & Ironing, Finalizing the Perfection. 40南山整烫，完美在此定格。 来自互联网