United Nations Approves U.S. Resolution on Iraq

By Cynthia Kirk

Broadcast: October 18, 2003

This is Steve Ember with In the News, from VOA Special English.
The United Nations Security Council this week approved an American resolution on Iraq. All fifteen members voted Thursday to support the resolution. These included France, Germany, Russia and Syria, which had all opposed the war in Iraq.
The United States says it hopes the resolution will get more countries to provide troops and aid to help rebuild Iraq. Several countries had said they would not send troops unless the Security Council passed a new resolution. The United States and Britain plan to request more aid at an international conference next week in Spain.
The resolution calls for the establishment of an American-led international force in Iraq. The resolution also urges U-N members to provide troops and money to support the occupation. The plan gives Iraq's 1)temporary governing council until December fifteenth to set time limits to write a constitution and hold elections.
The new resolution had been changed five times since August. The U-N wanted greater influence in political decisions about Iraq. And France, Russia and Germany wanted the United States to return power within a few months to a temporary government in Baghdad.
The United States rejected these demands. But this week it presented new 2)compromises.
The changes give the United Nations greater influence in the constitutional process in Iraq. The changes also guarantee the need for additional approval to keep the international force in Iraq after a new government is sworn in. But the resolution does not set a date for Iraqis to 3)take power.
The vote Thursday came after days of negotiations¹. France, Germany and Russia agreed to support the resolution after a conference call among their leaders. The call took place hours before the vote. Those three countries were the leading opponents of the war in Iraq.
After the vote, however, France, Germany and Russia said they would not provide troops or additional money to support the coalition² efforts in Iraq. They said the resolution does not go far enough to re-establish Iraqi control.
The Bush administration increased its efforts to seek a new resolution after the bombing at the U-N headquarters in Baghdad in August. The chief U-N 4)diplomat³ in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, was among the twenty-two people killed.
In September, President Bush told 5)the General Assembly that the United States would deal with calls to expand U-N involvement in the change of power in Iraq. But Secretary General Kofi Annan demanded greater independence and security guarantees for the United Nations in exchange.
The Security Council remains⁴ divided on the future of Iraq. But a spokeswoman for French President Jacques Chirac said the vote on the resolution was important, above all, as a show of unity⁵.
In the News, from VOA Special English, was written by Cynthia Kirk. This is Steve Ember.

注释：
1) temporary [ 5tempErEri ] adj.暂时的, 临时的, 临时性
2) compromise [ 5kCmprEmaiz ] n.妥协, 折衷
3) take power  取得政权
4) diplomat [ 5diplEmAt ] n.外交官
5) the General Assembly  会员大会

1 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。

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 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。