VOA常速英语2008年-US Urges Pakistan's Moderate Political Parties

By Meredith Buel
Washington
28 February 2008

The United States is urging the moderate political parties in Pakistan that made significant gains in recent parliamentary elections to work together to form a coalition¹ government. VOA correspondent Meredith Buel reports from Washington.

Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee the United States is looking forward to working with the leaders of Pakistan's newly elected parliament who are in talks on the formation of a new government.

"We are going to work with whatever government emerges from the process," said Negroponte. "We are not in the business of recommending specific alignments² or specific coalitions³. I think we would, as a general proposition, urge the moderate forces, political forces, to work together. Of course President Musharraf is still the president of his country and we look forward to continuing to work well with him, as well."

The political parties of slain⁴ opposition⁵ leader Benazir Bhutto and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif finished first and second in the February 18 elections, while the party loyal to Mr. Musharraf suffered a major defeat.

Committee Chairman Joseph Biden, who recently returned from Pakistan after observing the election, says it is time for the United States to adjust its policy to reflect the outcome of the vote.

"With this election the moderate majority has regained⁶ its voice," said Biden. "The United States should seize the moment to move from a policy based on a personality, Mr. Musharraf, to one based on an entire country, Pakistan."

Negroponte says Pakistan has been indispensable in the war on terror, particularly the fight against al-Qaida and Taliban-linked extremists along the country's border with Afghanistan.

In the recent election, Pakistan's Islamist parties lost most of their power, especially in their traditional stronghold in the country's North West Frontier Province.

Negroponte says the outcome of the election proves moderate, pro-democracy parties are at the heart of Pakistan's political system and voters largely rejected politics based on religion.

"I think given the rejection⁷ of the Islamist parties, I think the general tendency in the country towards moderation and secular⁸ government, I would hope and expect we would be able to work as well, if not better, with the forthcoming government than we have in the past," he said. "I am certainly hopeful."

Senator Biden urged the deputy secretary of state to consider a major increase in non-military aid to Pakistan and to focus the assistance on the tribal⁹ areas along the border with Afghanistan.

"The Afghan-Pakistani border region is where the 9/11 attacks were plotted," said Biden. "It is where most attacks in Europe since 9/11 have originated. It is where Osama bin¹⁰ Laden¹¹ lives and his top confederates enjoy safe-haven, planning new attacks. It is where we must urgently, in my view, shift our focus to the real central front in the so-called war on terrorism."

Negroponte says the United States has launched an ambitious aid plan in an effort to counter militancy¹² in Pakistan's tribal areas.

Over the next five years U.S. officials plan to spend $750 million each year to create jobs, open schools, build roads and improve literacy.

This is in addition to the billions of dollars in U.S. military aid flowing to the Pakistani Army to fight the militants¹³.

1 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

2 alignments   

排成直线( alignment的名词复数 )； （国家、团体间的）结盟

参考例句：

• Along some active faults we can see clear alignments of microearthquakes. 微震清晰地沿着某些活动断层排列着。
• The technique requires critical and difficult optical alignments. 这种技术要求严格，并且光学调整困难。

3 coalitions   

结合体，同盟( coalition的名词复数 )； （两党或多党）联合政府

参考例句：

• History testifies to the ineptitude of coalitions in waging war. 历史昭示我们，多数国家联合作战，其进行甚为困难。
• All the coalitions in history have disintegrated sooner or later. 历史上任何联盟迟早都垮台了。

4 slain   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)

参考例句：

• The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
• His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

5 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。

6 regained   

复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• The majority of the people in the world have regained their liberty. 世界上大多数人已重获自由。
• She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise. 她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。

7 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

8 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

9 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

10 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

11 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

12 militancy   

n.warlike behavior or tendency

参考例句：

• Full of militancy and revolutionary ardour, the people of all nationalities in the country are working hard for the realization of the four modernizations. 全国各族人民意气风发， 斗志昂扬，为实现四个现代化而奋战。
• The seniority system is another factor that leads to union militancy. 排资论辈制度也是导致工会好斗争的另一因素。

13 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。