VOA标准英语2010年-Kabul Conference Endorses 2014 Afghan

Foreign ministers and delegates from various countries attend an international conference on Afghanistan's future in Kabul, Afghanistan, 20 July 2010

 

Representatives from countries around the world and international organizations have met in Kabul at a major donor¹ conference for Afghanistan and endorsed² the Afghan government's plan to take charge of security by 2014.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai told donors³ at the international conference in Kabul Tuesday that his government is moving in the right direction to take control of Afghanistan's destiny.

Representatives from more than 60 countries and organizations also backed President Karzai's call for the international community to channel at least 50 percent of development aid through the Afghan government.  More than $40 billion has been spent on Afghanistan since 2001.

"I remain determined⁴ that our Afghan National Security Forces will be responsible for all military and law enforcement operations throughout our country by 2014,"  Karzai said.

Record violence

Violence in Afghanistan has reached record levels in recent months.  There are around 140,000 troops from the US and NATO in Afghanistan, and NATO officials predict more to arrive soon.

President Karzai told the delegates he has a plan to legitimize his country's forces in the Afghan people's eyes in order to more effectively take control.

"I am therefore assigning priority to reforming and reorganizing our prison system, reviewing procedures for investigating alleged⁵ crimes by the state for special appeals and for the cases of detention⁶ without trial for citizens," he said.

Accomplishments⁷

The donor conference in Kabul was the largest international meeting in Afghanistan since the 1970s.  Security was tight in the capital.  Coalition⁸ forces battled insurgents⁹ near Kabul the night before, but the conference proceeded peacefully.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon co-chaired the event with President Karzai.  Mr. Ban credited the Afghan government for making advancements¹⁰ since the last major donor conference six months ago in London.

"We recognize that the journey from London to Kabul is measured in more than miles, it is measured in the progress that you have made in delivering on the London commitment," he said.

At the previous conference, President Karzai pledged a commitment to improve security, governance and economic opportunities for Afghans.  Donor countries pledged to channel more resources through the Afghan government's budget. 

Since then, President Karzai pursued a national consensus¹¹ through a traditional gathering¹² called a jirga in June.  He also has requested the international community set up a joint¹³ commission with his government to investigate corruption¹⁴.

Impact

Analysts¹⁵ say while there is still work to be done, the Kabul conference was President Karzai's chance to show the international community his government is ready.

Recently, many coalition partners have voiced their desire to begin transferring security control to the Afghan forces.  U.S. officials say they hope to start withdrawing forces next July.

But U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told delegates at the conference that this transition is not an ending, but rather, a new beginning.

"We have no intention of abandoning our long-term mission of achieving the kind of Afghanistan that President Karzai set forth¹⁶ in his speech," Clinton siad.

She added the United States intends to continue its economic assistance and training of Afghan security forces for a long time to come.

Support

Regional experts say the Afghan Taliban was able to rise to power in the 1990s after the Soviets¹⁷ withdrew from Afghanistan and the United States largely pulled out of the region.

During the conference, international donors also voiced their support for President Karzai's offer to reconcile and reintegrate elements of the Taliban who lay down their weapons, support the constitution and cut ties with terrorist organizations.
 

1 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

2 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》

3 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

5 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

6 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

7 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

9 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

10 advancements   

n.（级别的）晋升( advancement的名词复数 )；前进；进展；促进

参考例句：

• Today, the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements. 当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Great advancements in drought prediction have been made in recent years. 近年来，人们对干旱灾害的预报研究取得了长足的进步。 来自互联网

11 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

12 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

13 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。

14 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

15 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

16 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

17 soviets   

苏维埃（Soviet的复数形式）

参考例句：

• A public challenge could provoke the Soviets to dig in. 公开挑战会促使苏联人一意孤行。
• The Soviets proposed the withdrawal of American ballistic-missile submarines from forward bases. 苏联人建议把美国的弹道导弹潜艇从前沿基地撤走。