2006年VOA标准英语-Talabani Rejects Iraq Study Group Report

By Paula Wolfson
White House
10 December 2006

The leaders of the Iraq Study Group are defending their report, following new criticism from Baghdad. At the same time, the Bush administration is stepping up its own review of its Iraq strategy. VOA White House correspondent Paula Wolfson has details.

 
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani gestures as he talks to reporters in his office in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, 10 Dec. 2006
 
On the day Iraqi President Jalal Talabani rejected the report of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, the chairmen of the 10-member panel went on U.S. television to defend their recommendations.

In interviews with four American television networks, Republican James Baker¹ and Democrat² Lee Hamilton, said their proposals present a way forward for Iraq.

Baker, a former secretary of state, told CNN's Late Edition that something must be done.

"We say that a change in the primary mission of our forces, an enhanced and more vigorous diplomatic offensive, and conditionality³ by way of our aid to the Iraqi government can make a difference," said James Baker. "It can help us succeed."

 
Iraq Study Group co-chairs James A. Baker (r) and Lee Hamilton  
He spoke⁴ just hours after the Iraqi president - an ethnic⁵ Kurd - called the commission's report unfair and unjust. Mr. Talabani said the recommendations are an insult to the Iraqi people.

Hamilton, a former congressman⁶ who once chaired the House International Relations Committee, said the reason for such criticism is simple. He told CNN some individual leaders in Iraq are looking at the report and seeing the situation solely⁷ through the perspective of their own ethnic groups.

"If that is the perspective that these leaders are going to adopt, then there will be no unified⁸ Iraq, and there will be no United States presence there in a pretty short period of time," said Lee Hamilton. "We want a unified Iraq. We are prepared to put a lot of resources into it to get that, but these kinds of statements make it very difficult for us to do it."

President Bush has promised to take the Iraq Study Group's recommendations very seriously. But he has also stressed that the administration is conducting its own policy reviews at the Pentagon, the State Department and the White House National Security Council, and all will be given equal weight.

On the CBS television program Face the Nation, Baker noted⁹ that his panel of foreign policy experts is the only bipartisan entity¹⁰ to put a list of recommendations on the president's desk.

"I think the situation is such that politics as usual is not going to come up with the answer," he said. "There has to be a unity¹¹ of the American people and a unity of the country behind an approach, if it is going to work."

The president will meet with his foreign policy team at the State Department on Monday. Before the week is out, he will also hold consultations¹² with officials at the Pentagon and military commanders in Iraq. Aides say he plans to deliver a speech to the American people on possible changes in U. S. strategy before Christmas.

1 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

2 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

3 conditionality   

n.受限制性，制约性

参考例句：

• We have the same value plus half the upside, with no conditionality. 我们获得了相同价值，外加一半的上行机会，而且没有条件限制。 来自互联网
• Gate conditionality does not mitigate the adverse effect of gate review criteria. 关卡制约性不会减少关卡评价标准的反作用。 来自互联网

4 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。

5 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

6 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

7 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

8 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。

11 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。

12 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》