2007年VOA标准英语-Indonesian President Calls on Moderate Islamic

By Al Pessin
Jakarta
13 February 2007

A U.S. official in Jakarta says Indonesia's president told the top U.S. military officer Tuesday that moderate Islamic nations should help Iraq's new government stabilize¹ the country.  And the official says the American officer, General Peter Pace, told the president his voice would be heard if he spoke² publicly about that.  VOA's Al Pessin reports from Jakarta.

General Pace arrives at Jakarta's airport

A senior U.S. defense³ official says the discussion of Iraq was part of a broad-ranging, nearly hour-long meeting that also covered the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the situation in Lebanon and efforts to increase U.S.-Indonesian military exchanges.  The official, who spoke to VOA on condition of anonymity⁴, said President Susilio Bambang Yudhoyono listed seven moderate Islamic countries, including Indonesia, that could be helping⁵ Iraq. 

The official says General Pace told the president if he makes such statements in public it would have an impact in the United States, where he said many people need reassurance⁶ that the U.S. goals for Iraq are shared by other countries.

The official says the president told General Pace it is Iraqis who must solve the Iraq problem, not Americans, and that both Iraqis and Afghans have embraced democracy in recent years, following the U.S.-led invasions.

Later, at a news conference, General Pace said help for Iraq from countries like Indonesia can come in many forms.

"There's a lot that countries can do, short of sending military force, that'd be very powerful in its long-term effect inside of Iraq for the good of the Iraqi people," he noted⁷.

The general said countries can provide support for Iraq's efforts to achieve political reconciliation⁸ and economic development, which he sees as just as important as security operations for establishing stability.  He said President Yudhoyono had some good ideas on how to help Iraq's economy.

On bilateral⁹ issues, General Pace said he came to hear ideas from the president, defense minister and the head of the military on how to further develop U.S.-Indonesian military relations.  He said that could include joint¹⁰ exercises and training on peacekeeping operations, but he said no decisions were made.

The other official who spoke to VOA said the current emphasis is on a $1 million educational program for Indonesian service members, teaching them both military skills and democratic values.  He says there are also some U.S. service members studying at advanced military schools here.  The official says talk of arms sales has been postponed¹¹ because Indonesia does not have the money to buy what it wants, even though the United States lifted its arms embargo¹² against Indonesia in 2005.

The embargo was imposed to protest human rights violations¹³ by the Indonesian military, and the official says some Indonesian officials are skeptical¹⁴ about relying on supplies from the United States again.  But the official says the military has improved its human rights record significantly, and General Pace said he is pleased with the relationship today.

"I'm very comfortable with the relationship that exists right now between Indonesia and the United States, and especially between the Indonesian armed forces and U.S. armed forces," he added.  "We had a problem 10 years ago that we no longer have.  I'm really pleased that we're beyond that."

The general also rejected a reporter's suggestion that he had come to Jakarta to seek Indonesia's help in a future war with Iran.

"I came here only to talk about how the U.S. military and the Indonesian military can work together regionally for the betterment of both of our countries, not to talk about U.S. military or Indonesian military in any way interacting with Iran," he said.

General Pace also praised the joint Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore effort to provide security in the Straits of Malacca, and he said the United States is not looking to become involved in that effort, at least for now.

1 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

2 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。

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 anonymity   

n.the condition of being anonymous

参考例句：

• Names of people in the book were changed to preserve anonymity. 为了姓名保密，书中的人用的都是化名。
• Our company promises to preserve the anonymity of all its clients. 我们公司承诺不公开客户的姓名。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 reassurance   

n.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• He drew reassurance from the enthusiastic applause.热烈的掌声使他获得了信心。
• Reassurance is especially critical when it comes to military activities.消除疑虑在军事活动方面尤为关键。

7 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。

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 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

10 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

11 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

12 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

13 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。

14 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。