VOA标准英语2009年-Gates: Impossible to Set Date for Afghan Withdr

Secretary Gates said that as much as he would like to see foreign troops leave Afghanistan, it is impossible to foresee when that might happen.
　
US Sec. of Defense¹ Gates(L) listens as his French counterpart Morin(R) comments to the media at the Pentagon, 03 Mar² 2009

Gates spoke³ on Tuesday at a joint⁴ news conference at the Pentagon with French Defense Minister Herve Morin, who said on Monday that NATO should soon set a date for the start of such a withdrawal⁵.

"I do not see that happening anytime in the near future. And I think it's impossible to put a date on when you might firmly say all the troops are coming out," Gates said.

President Obama recently approved a 45 percent increase in the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan, to about 55,000. The American commander in Kabul said he will need the troops for the long term to fight the growing insurgency⁶.

At Monday's news conference, French Defense Minister Herve Morin tried to clarify his earlier comments.

Morin said he never called for a withdrawal date, but rather said NATO should stay in Afghanistan as long as necessary, although not forever. He called for specific goals and milestones⁷ along the way in order to demonstrate to Europeans that there is a process in place that eventually will enable their troops to go home.

Secretary Gates has also called for goals in Afghanistan that can be achieved in three to five years. The Obama administration is currently reviewing U.S. policy toward Afghanistan and is expected to announce its plan before the NATO summit next month.
　
Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak at a news conference in Kabul, (file photo)

On Monday, Gates indicated that the talk of shorter-term goals in Afghanistan has caused concern among Afghan officials, including Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak, who has been in Washington in recent days.

"I think that the conversations he had here in Washington last week provided considerable reassurance⁸ to him that nobody was talking about abandoning Afghanistan. But rather, we were trying to come up with shorter-term goals, where we could measure progress. And I think that he was considerably⁹ reassured¹⁰ by that," he said.

Gates also weighed in on the controversy¹¹ about the date of Afghanistan's presidential election. The country's election commission set August 20 for the vote, so more U.S. troops will be available to help provide security.

But President Hamid Karzai has called for the election to be held next month. His term expires in May, and his opponents say he cannot stay in office after that.

Gates endorsed¹² the August plan, but said there are concerns about President Karzai's status after May.

"I think it's a legitimate¹³ concern on the part of President Karzai. And I think the international community as well as the different elements in the Afghan government and parliament are trying to figure out the right way forward here," he said.

Gates said Afghan officials are trying to find a way to have a legitimate government between May and August.

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 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

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 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

5 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

6 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

7 milestones   

n.重要事件( milestone的名词复数 )；重要阶段；转折点；里程碑

参考例句：

• Several important milestones in foreign policy have been passed by this Congress and they can be chalked up as major accomplishments. 这次代表大会通过了对外政策中几起划时代的事件，并且它们可作为主要成就记录下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dale: I really envy your milestones over the last few years, Don. 我真的很羡慕你在过去几年中所建立的丰功伟绩。 来自互联网

8 reassurance   

n.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• He drew reassurance from the enthusiastic applause.热烈的掌声使他获得了信心。
• Reassurance is especially critical when it comes to military activities.消除疑虑在军事活动方面尤为关键。

9 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

10 reassured   

adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

12 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。