2007年VOA标准英语-UNHCR Chief: World Must Help Iraqi Refugees

By Sonja Pace
Damascus
09 February 2007

The U.N. high commissioner¹ for refugees, Antonio Guterres, says the international community has a moral and political obligation to help the nearly four million Iraqis who have been internally displaced, or who have fled their country because of growing violence and instability. VOA's Sonja Pace reports from Damascus.

An Iraqi Shiite woman washes her dishes in a camp for Baghdad's displaced Shiite families in Diwaniyah

Speaking to reporters in Damascus, UNHCR chief Antonio Guterres said, despite the intense international focus on the military and security situation in Iraq, little attention has been paid to the growing humanitarian² crisis.  He said it is time the international community acts. 

"Indeed, we are facing a humanitarian disaster, with 1.8 million people displaced inside Iraq, sometimes in very difficult circumstances, and with 2 million refugees outside the country," he said.

UNHCR has launched a $60 million appeal to help the refugees and internally displaced over the next 12 months. The vast majority of those who have fled Iraq have gone to neighboring Jordan and Syria, and Guterres said it is time those two countries receive some international help.

"It is no longer possible to ask Jordan and Syria alone to bear this very heavy burden," he added.

Syria has taken in close to 1 million Iraqi refugees, and UNHCR officials say an additional 30,000 to 40,000 newcomers arrive every month.  Officials say this influx³ has put a tremendous strain on Syria's capacity to care for the refugees.

Refugees have told UNHCR here in Damascus that Syria had begun to tighten⁴ controls over who could come in and how long they could stay.  Many Iraqis feared they would be sent back home, where they said they would likely be killed.

UNHCR chief Guterres said Syrian officials assured him there would be no expulsions. 

"I was very happy to be reassured⁵ by the Syrian authorities that they have no intention at all to send Iraqis back to Iraq, in these extremely difficult circumstances of the country, against their will, in the present moment," he explained.

Guterres said he also discussed with Syrian authorities the plight⁶ of nearly 600 Palestinians who want to leave Iraq and are now camped along the Syrian border.  Another 15,000 Palestinians are believed still to be in the area around Baghdad, where Guterres said they remain in extreme danger.

Palestinians were welcome in Iraq, and received favorable treatment under Saddam Hussein. For this reason they have now been targeted and nearly 600 have been reported killed since Saddam's ouster in 2003.

1 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

2 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。

3 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

4 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

5 reassured   

adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。