VOA标准英语2008年-Gates Says US, NATO Should Fight Drug Trade in

U.S. Defense¹ Secretary Robert Gates says U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan should take on the country's narcotics² trafficking problem as part of their military mission in the country. VOA's Al Pessin reports from London, where Gates is preparing for a NATO defense ministers' meeting on Friday.
　
US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates delivers a speech at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, 17 Sep 2008

Secretary Gates says NATO must address the narcotics issue because the money it generates funds a variety of insurgent³ groups. Currently, fighting the drug trade is specifically not part of the mission of U.S. and NATO troops.

"It seems to me that if we or ISAF (the NATO force) encounter the opportunity to take out drug labs, or to arrest or take action against drug lords, kingpins, that's an opportunity, given how tied in it is with all the other issues in Afghanistan that that's something we ought to be willing to take on in some way," Gates said.

Secretary Gates says NATO has been considering such a plan for some time, and he expects discussion of it on the sidelines of Friday's meeting, which will focus on modernizing⁴ the alliance. He says the Afghan drugs issue could be addressed more formally at a ministerial level meeting in Budapest early next month.

Gates arrived in London late Wednesday after a 22-hour visit to Afghanistan, where he heard from U.S. commanders about the complex set of insurgent and terrorist groups they face. The secretary says recent Pakistani efforts to close safe havens⁵ the groups have in its border area have had "some considerable effectiveness."

He also addressed concerns expressed by Afghan officials about a series of incidents in which U.S. air strikes have accidentally killed dozens of civilians⁶. Secretary Gates conveyed his "sincere condolences and personal regrets," and says he ordered commanders to be even more careful in their decisions about which targets to bomb.

He also says he told the commanders to pay compensation for such deaths even if they are not sure who died or who is responsible. He says that is an "acceptable cost" to counter insurgent propaganda about the incidents, and will send the "strategic" message that the United States is a partner and friend of the Afghan people.

 

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 narcotics   

n.麻醉药( narcotic的名词复数 )；毒品；毒

参考例句：

• The use of narcotics by teenagers is a problem in many countries. 青少年服用麻醉药在许多国家中都是一个问题。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Police shook down the club, looking for narcotics. 警方彻底搜查了这个俱乐部，寻找麻醉品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

4 modernizing   

使现代化，使适应现代需要( modernize的现在分词 )； 现代化，使用现代方法

参考例句：

• Modernizing a business to increase its profitability and competitiveness is a complicated affair. 使企业现代化，从而达到增加利润，增强竞争力的目的，是一件复杂的事情。
• The young engineer had a large share in modernizing the factory. 这位年轻工程师在工厂现代化的过程中尽了很大的“力”。

5 havens   

n.港口，安全地方( haven的名词复数 )v.港口，安全地方( haven的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Your twenty havens would back out at the last minute anyhow. 你那二十个避难所到了最后一分钟也要不认帐。 来自辞典例句
• Using offshore havens to avoid taxes and investor protections. 使用海面的港口避免税和投资者保护。 来自互联网

6 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。