VOA标准英语2009年-Gates Says NATO Positive on Call for More Help

U.S. Defense¹ Secretary Robert Gates said he got a good response from NATO allies Thursday when he asked them to do more to help provide security for the elections in Afghanistan in August, and for longer term projects training the country's security forces and improving its economy.
　
US Secretary of Defense Gates (L), whispers to UN Special Rep. to Afghanistan Kai Eide in Krakow, 19 Feb. 2009

Secretary Gates had said his main focus in speaking with his NATO counterparts this week would be Afghanistan, and after the first day of meetings in Krakow Thursday he indicated he was pleased with the response.

"I think that there is a shared belief that we need to do more in terms of providing security in the run up to the Afghan election," he said. "There is very strong support for the expansion of the Afghan army. There was a lot of talk today about what we could all do in terms of helping² train the Afghan National Police. Particularly with respect to the police, I think that more than I have heard in the past there was an expression of the importance of helping train and expand the Afghan National Police."

There were reports that Germany has decided³ to send 600 additional troops to help with the Afghan election, which Secretary Gates' spokesman immediately welcomed. Gates has said he wants more NATO troops for the election period in August, but that he realizes that in the long term the allies are more likely to provide military and police training and support for economic development.
　
Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak (file photo)

The secretary also said the NATO defense ministers received a "realistic" and "balanced" report from Afghanistan's Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak about the situation in his country, where security has been deteriorating⁴. President Obama announced this week he has authorized⁵ the deployment⁶ of an additional 17,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan, an increase of 45 percent, and the U.S. and NATO commander says he needs those and several thousand more U.S. troops for several years.

On Thursday, Secretary Gates said U.S. forces are also working on the details of a plan to enlist⁷ local citizens to help provide security for their towns and villages, as was done with considerable success in Iraq. The secretary said it is important for Afghan forces to be in the lead in security operations in their own country as much as possible.

Another issue on Secretary Gates' agenda Thursday was European missile defense. The Bush administration planned to build installations for the program here in Poland, and also in the Czech Republic. The Obama administration is taking a more cautious approach, saying it will pursue it only if the threat from Iran continues and if the program is technologically⁸ feasible and cost effective. Gates said he asked his Polish counterpart for patience as the new administration works out its policies.

"The fact is that between the economic crisis, Afghanistan and Iraq, the administration has not yet reviewed where it is on a whole range of issues, including relationships with our allies, the missile defense program, the relationship with the Russians. These things are all in many respects very much tied together, including Iran," he said.

Secretary Gates, who advocated for the missile defense program for two years during the Bush administration, declined to say whether he himself believes the program is technologically feasible and cost effective. He continues his meetings with NATO ministers on Friday.

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 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。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 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。

5 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

6 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

7 enlist   

vt.谋取(支持等)，赢得；征募；vi.入伍

参考例句：

• They come here to enlist men for the army.他们来这儿是为了召兵。
• The conference will make further efforts to enlist the support of the international community for their just struggle. 会议必将进一步动员国际社会，支持他们的正义斗争。

8 technologically   

ad.技术上地

参考例句：

• Shanghai is a technologically advanced city. 上海是中国的一个技术先进的城市。
• Many senior managers are technologically illiterate. 许多高级经理都对技术知之甚少。