VOA标准英语2009年-US Says Closure of Kyrgyzstan Air Base Will Not

The State Department said Thursday that the eviction¹ of U.S. forces from the Manas air base in Kyrgyzstan will not adversely² affect American and NATO military operations in Afghanistan. The Kyrgyz parliament has voted to end U.S. access to the base, although officials in Washington say the action is not final.
　
US military planes at Manas US military base in Bishkek airport, Kyrgyzstan, 12 Feb 2009

Officials here say they do not consider an eviction of U.S. forces from the Manas air base a foregone conclusion, despite the parliamentary vote. But they say that if Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev signs the legislation and formally ends the base agreement, the United States is ready to comply and find alternate arrangements.

U.S. forces have had access to the base for five years and it has become a major hub for U.S. military flights and refueling missions connected to the Afghan conflict, especially since the Uzbek government ended a similar basing arrangement with the United States in 2005.

At a news briefing, State Department Deputy Spokesman Gordon Duguid said dialogue with Kyrgyz authorities on the future of the base continues despite the parliamentary vote.

He said the United States will comply with an eviction order if that is the Kyrgyz government's final decision. But Duguid said that despite news reports to the contrary, it will not affect the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan.

"Not one whit⁴. We will be able to continue our operations in Afghanistan fully⁵ and completely. The Pentagon is renowned⁶ for its ability to move troops, equipment and other materiel to all parts of the world," he said.

Duguid said the signing of base closure notice by the Kyrgyz government would start a 180-day period at the end of which U.S. forces would have to be gone. He said the Pentagon has contingency⁷ plans for a closure, and that it is examining options for replacing operations at Manas, although he declined to elaborate.

A senior State Department official who spoke³ to reporters here said the United States still has an offer on the table for increased compensation for Kyrgyzstan which has not been formally rejected by authorities in the capital Bishkek.

The official said a further and larger U.S. offer was a possibility, but that there is no indication the Kyrgyz side is open to further negotiations⁸.

The Kyrgyz president announced this month that he would close the base after accepting more than $2 billion in Russian aid. U.S. officials have said that while they are willing to increase compensation for access to the base, it would not come close to the Russian aid pledge.

U.S. Defense⁹ Secretary Robert Gates, in Poland on Thursday, expressed irritation¹⁰ over Russia's role in the matter. He said Moscow is trying to "have it both ways" with respect to Afghanistan - on the one hand, expressing a readiness to cooperate with the United States while, on the other hand, "working against us" in terms of an air base clearly important to the war effort.

1 eviction   

n.租地等的收回

参考例句：

• The family have won a temporary reprieve from eviction.这个家庭暂时免于被逐出。
• He claimed damages for unlawful eviction.他要求对非法驱逐作出赔偿。

2 adversely   

ad.有害地

参考例句：

• We commented adversely upon the imbecility of that message of telegraphic style. 我们对着这条电报式的愚蠢的留言发泄了一通不满。
• Widely fluctuating exchange rates may adversely affect international trade. 浮动幅度很大的汇率可能会对国际贸易产生有害的影响。

3 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。

4 whit   

n.一点，丝毫

参考例句：

• There's not a whit of truth in the statement.这声明里没有丝毫的真实性。
• He did not seem a whit concerned.他看来毫不在乎。

5 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

6 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

7 contingency   

n.意外事件，可能性

参考例句：

• We should be prepared for any contingency.我们应该对任何应急情况有所准备。
• A fire in our warehouse was a contingency that we had not expected.库房的一场大火是我们始料未及的。

8 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

9 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。

10 irritation   

n.激怒，恼怒，生气

参考例句：

• He could not hide his irritation that he had not been invited.他无法掩饰因未被邀请而生的气恼。
• Barbicane said nothing,but his silence covered serious irritation.巴比康什么也不说，但是他的沉默里潜伏着阴郁的怒火。