PBS高端访谈:伊拉克总理引咎辞职（在线收听）

JUDY WOODRUFF: The growing protest movement in Iraq has claimed dozens more new casualties today. The prime minister says that he will step down, giving in to public demands. But, in the streets, the killing goes on, security forces shooting down scores more protesters. Foreign affairs correspondent Nick Schifrin reports on this critical day.

NICK SCHIFRIN: On the streets of Baghdad, protesters today declared victory. They have demonstrated for two months, and many gave their lives. They warned that sacrifice would be worth it only if today sparked fundamental change.

MAN (through translator): We consider this as the first step. We demand the resignation of all lawmakers.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Adil Abdul-Mahdi was a consensus candidate who struggled to deliver promised reforms. In early October, leaderless demonstrations rallied against 15 years of failed governance, unemployment, and corruption, and called for the entire political class' ouster. They also criticized Iran's influence. Today, they burned the Iranian flag, and Wednesday night torched the Iranian Consulate in Najaf. In response, security services have used deadly force. More than 400 protesters have been killed. The violence spread to Iraq's south, threatening to destabilize the country. That's why, today, the spokesman for Iraq's most powerful Shiite religious leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, spoke to followers and strongly suggested the government step aside.

AHMED AL-SAFI, Spokesman for Grand Ayatollah Sistani (through translator): We call upon the House of Representatives, from which this current government has emerged, to reconsider its options.

NICK SCHIFRIN: A few hours later, Abdul-Mahdi's office released a statement saying he would step down, so Iraq could "avoid slipping into a cycle of violence, chaos, and devastation".

FEISAL ISTRABADI, Former Deputy Iraqi Ambassador to United Nations: The initial response of some security forces or militias to begin to engage the demonstrators with violence really caused things to spiral out of his hands very quickly. And so his remaining an office seemed to have no particular logic to it. It seemed to be a situation where he could not control the streets anymore.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Feisal Istrabadi is an academic and former Iraqi diplomat.He says Abdul-Mahdi's resignation is unprecedented, and will spark difficult horse-trading in a deeply divided Parliament.

FEISAL ISTRABADI: You have the same political parties who have been at an impasse for the last year-and-a-half having to form another government. We are in a state of deadlock probably for sometime to come.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Protesters will be watching to ensure today was the beginning, not the end, of the reforms they demand. For the PBS NewsHour, I'm Nick Schifrin.

朱迪·伍德拉夫：伊拉克的抗议活动今天又导致更多人伤亡。总理称自己将引咎辞职，他无法承受公众的众多需求了。而街头上的杀戮依然在继续，保安部队射击很多抗议人士进行了射击。下面请我台外事记者尼克发回的关于这一天的报道。

尼克：在巴格达街头，今天的一些抗议人士宣布了胜利。他们抗议了2个月，很多人因此而丧命。他们警示称，只要他们的抗议能引发根本性的变革，那么牺牲就是值得的。

男（内容经过翻译）：我们认为这是第一步。我们要求所有议员下台。

尼克：阿迪勒是协商产生的候选人，他在推行之前承诺的改革时，遇到了许多困难。10月初发生了无领导示威，抗议的是15年失败的治理、失业、腐败，同时也是为了呼吁罢黜整个政治阶级。他们还谴责了伊朗的影响。如今，他们烧掉了伊朗的国企，周三晚上还烧了伊朗位于纳贾夫的领事馆。作为响应，保安部队发动了致命袭击。有400多名抗议者遭到杀害。这场暴力传播到了伊拉克南部，威胁了该国的稳定。因此，今天，伊拉克发言人最有权力的什叶派宗教领袖大阿亚图拉跟信众发表了讲话，强烈建议政府置身事外。

阿赫麦德，阿赫麦德发言人（以下内容经过翻译）：我们呼吁众议院议员，也就是本届政府所在的党派重新考虑自己的选择。

尼克：几小时后，阿迪勒的办公室发布了一份声明，声明中写道自己会下台，这样一来，伊拉克就能“避免陷入暴力、混乱、毁灭的死循环了。”

菲索尔，前伊拉克驻联合国大使：一些保安部队和民兵组织最开始的响应方式是用暴力对待抗议示威者，这样做让事态迅速失控。所以，他的政府似乎对于这件事并没有特殊的逻辑。当前情况是：他再也控制不住街头的形势了。

尼克：菲索尔曾是伊拉克的外交官，知识渊博。他说阿迪勒的引咎辞职是史无前例的，会给已经深深分裂的国会造成难以解决的争论。

菲索尔：过去一年半以来，现在的这些政党就一直处于僵局中，无法组建新政府。可能未来一段时间都要处于僵局状态了。

尼克：抗议者将会确保今天只是变革的开始，而不是结束。感谢收听尼克发回的《新闻一小时》。