VOA常速英语2008年-NATO Summit Opens with Appeals for Greater Effo

By Sonja Pace
London
02 April 2008

As talks among NATO leaders get under way in Bucharest, much of the emphasis will be on what the alliance can and should do to help stabilize¹ Afghanistan.  France is expected to announce additional troop deployments and U.S. President George W. Bush has appealed to NATO allies to step forward with more forces as well.  VOA's Sonja Pace reports from London.

NATO leaders have acknowledged that Afghanistan is an important test case for the 26-member alliance as it seeks to re-define itself in a post-Cold-War, post 9/11 era.

The NATO-led force in Afghanistan currently comprises some 47,000 troops, but there have been dire² reports recently that more forces and greater political efforts are needed if that country is to be saved from deteriorating³ into a failed state.

Speaking in Bucharest, President Bush called on NATO members to do more to counter the threat of terrorism by stepping up efforts in Afghanistan.

"The terrorist threat is real, it is deadly and defeating this enemy is the top priority of NATO," said Mr. Bush.  "Our alliance must maintain its resolve and finish the fight.  As [French] President [Nicolas] Sarkozy put it in London last week, we cannot afford to lose Afghanistan, whatever the cost, however difficult the victory, we cannot afford it, we must win. I agree completely."

France is expected to announce it will send additional forces to Afghanistan and the United States has said it is deploying⁴ an additional 3,500 Marines.  Romania has committed to adding forces as have several other allies.

In an interview with VOA, NATO spokesman James Appathurai, said NATO would welcome additional French troops, noting that getting additional forces into Afghanistan is a prerequisite⁵ for also keeping Canadian troops there.

"It will allow Canada to maintain its commitment for a few more years in Afghanistan, because that was the condition that the Canadian parliament imposed on any extensions to 2010," he noted⁶.

Canada wants its European allies to send at least 1,000 more troops as well as drones and helicopters to help Canadian forces fight insurgents⁷ in southern Afghanistan. Speaking in Bucharest, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he was optimistic that NATO would come up with the necessary reinforcements.

NATO-member Turkey announced it has no plans to send combat troops to Afghanistan.  President Abdullah Gul said, however, that Turkey would increase other types of assistance.

Speaking in Bucharest, NATO-Secretary General Japp de Hoop⁸ Scheffer said it is vital that NATO and the wider international community remain committed to helping⁹ Afghanistan.

"We should not forget that are on one of the frontlines against terrorism in Afghanistan and that is a major reason that we cannot afford not to prevail and we are prevailing¹⁰ in Afghanistan," he said.

NATO officials and experts say stabilizing¹¹ Afghanistan will take more than just military might.  They say political progress and development are also a vital part of the equation.

The NATO Summit in Bucharest ends on Friday.

1 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

2 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。

3 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

4 deploying   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的现在分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Provides support for developing and deploying distributed, component-based applications. 为开发和部署基于组件的分布式应用程序提供支持。
• Advertisement, publishing, repair, and install-on-demand are all available when deploying your application. 在部署应用程序时提供公布、发布、修复和即需即装功能。

5 prerequisite   

n.先决条件；adj.作为前提的，必备的

参考例句：

• Stability and unity are a prerequisite to the four modernizations.安定团结是实现四个现代化的前提。
• It is a prerequisite of entry to the profession that you pass the exams.做这一行的先决条件是要通过了有关的考试。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 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

8 hoop   

n.（篮球）篮圈，篮

参考例句：

• The child was rolling a hoop.那个孩子在滚铁环。
• The wooden tub is fitted with the iron hoop.木盆都用铁箍箍紧。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

10 prevailing   

adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的

参考例句：

• She wears a fashionable hair style prevailing in the city.她的发型是这个城市流行的款式。
• This reflects attitudes and values prevailing in society.这反映了社会上盛行的态度和价值观。

11 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句