US, Saudi Leaders to Meet Against Backdrop of War, Iran Dealv

US, Saudi Leaders to Meet Against Backdrop of War, Iran Deal

WHITE HOUSE—

Against the backdrop of war in Iraq, Yemen and Syria, and concerns about Iran’s behavior, U.S. President Barack Obama will welcome Saudi King Salman to the White House Friday. It will be the Arab leader’s first visit to the United States since ascending¹ the throne in January, following the death of King Abdullah.

The one-on-one talks between President Obama and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman could not come at a more tumultuous time in the Middle East, as a U.S.-led coalition² fights Islamic State militants³ in Iraq and Syria, and a Saudi-led coalition beats back Iranian-supported Houthi rebels in Yemen.

“Many people in the Gulf⁴, in fact the entire Arab World, are concerned about the U.S. position in the Gulf, about the Iran nuclear agreement, about what is happening in terms of Iran’s expanding influence in the Levant, in Iraq, in Yemen,” said Center for Strategic and International Studies security analyst⁵ Anthony Cordesman..

Cordesman added that while Friday’s meeting at the White House will likely not produce a dramatic shift in policy, the dialogue will be critical to building Saudi confidence, particularly in the recently negotiated Iran nuclear agreement.

“They have to be firmly convinced the United States is going to enforce it, is not going to ignore any violations⁶, they will take a hard stand on it,” he said.

Beyond the nuclear deal, Iran’s behavior in the region will likely also factor into the two leaders' discussion on Iraq.

Former U.S. ambassador Francis Ricciardone, now with the Atlantic Council, said Saudi Arabia has a stake in seeing its northern neighbor stabilized⁷.

“I should think the discussion between President Obama and King Salman on Iraq will be very interesting, as to what each side can do to support Prime Minister Abadi in holding that country together and strengthening its independence from a hegemonistic influence,” said Ricciardone.

Ending the fighting, urging political reconciliation⁸ and addressing a humanitarian⁹ crisis – goals both leaders likely will push for, not just in Iraq and Syria, but in Saudi Arabia’s southern neighbor Yemen, where Saudi airstrikes continue to pound Houthi rebel targets on a regular basis.

1 ascending   

adj.上升的，向上的

参考例句：

• Now draw or trace ten dinosaurs in ascending order of size.现在按照体型由小到大的顺序画出或是临摹出10只恐龙。

2 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。

3 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

4 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

5 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

6 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

7 stabilized   

v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The patient's condition stabilized. 患者的病情稳定下来。
• His blood pressure has stabilized. 他的血压已经稳定下来了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

9 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。