voa标准英语2008年-Iraqi Parliament Approves Military Pact With US

The Iraqi parliament has voted to approve a controversial military pact¹ with the United States that will allow U.S. troops to remain in the country for three more years. The new pact will replace a U.N. mandate² which expires on December 31. Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki hailed the deal's approval as a historic, important achievement in restoring Iraq's sovereignty. Edward Yeranian reports for VOA from Cairo.

The Iraqi parliament session got under way after intense behind the scenes negotiations³ between different factions⁴, and the vote on the new military pact between Iraq and the U.S. was approved by a comfortable margin⁵, albeit⁶ less than the overwhelming consensus⁷ vote that some had been predicting.

Government spokesman Ali Debbagh said the vote to approve the pact represented a major achievement by the government and a national consensus of all Iraqi political factions.

He says that Iraq is now entering a period of peace and restoration of its sovereignty, in addition to a new relation with the United States. He says Iraqi forces will have more responsibility for security in the country in the countdown towards a U.S. withdrawal⁸.

U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker congratulated the Iraqi government and parliament, after the vote, adding that he hoped the accord would also be approved by Iraq's Presidential Council.

"The agreements," he said, "formalize a strong and equal partnership⁹ between the U.S. and Iraq…..and provide the means to secure the significant security gains that we have achieved together and to deter¹⁰ future aggression¹¹."
　

Lawmakers loyal to anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr hold banners that say "No, no to the agreement" after Iraqi parliament approved it in Baghdad, 27 Nov. 2008

Opponents of the pact, including the 30-member bloc¹² loyal to cleric Muqtada Sadr, waved posters denouncing the accord and tried to disrupt the vote with periodic outbursts during the session, thumping¹³ on chairs and clapping their hands. Sadr's supporters called the accord "void, and unlawful."

Pro-Sadr lawmaker, Maha Duri, said the accord would not achieve the stated goal of the government, which is the ultimate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

She says that the accord was forced on a weak Iraqi government by the United States and it doesn't require U.S. troops to withdraw from the country at the end of the pact.

Government spokesman Ali Debbagh, noted¹⁴ that accord requires American troops will withdraw from the country in December of 2011, at its conclusion, and that there is no reason for American forces to remain beyond that date, unless the security situation warrants it.

He says that after the end of the military pact in 2011 there will no longer be any need for U.S. troops in the country, so long as all Iraqis unite behind the security forces and that all remaining zones of tension are calm.

Iraq's National Security Advisor¹⁵ Muwafaq al Rubaie insisted, after the vote, that Iraq's army and security forces are taking "all necessary precautions to keep the peace," and that he thinks they will be "prepared for the task of keeping the peace after U.S. forces withdraw in 2011."

Several Sunni factions voted to approve the new military pact, but several others joined forces with Muqtada Sadr to oppose it. Member of Parliament Mohammed Dani of the mostly sunni National Dialogue Front explains why his party opposed the accord.

He complains that the accord goes against various international agreements, and that it carves into stone a fairly lengthy¹⁶ opposition¹⁷. He adds that it doesn't oblige U.S. troops to withdraw at its conclusion and that now the "U.S. occupation" has gained the approval of parliament.

Al Arabiya TV reports that Iraqi public opinion over the military pact with the United States is "fairly divided," but that there were no major disruptions in the capital Baghdad after parliament voted to approve it.

1 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

2 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

3 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。

4 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

5 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

6 albeit   

conj.即使；纵使；虽然

参考例句：

• Albeit fictional,she seemed to have resolved the problem.虽然是虚构的，但是在她看来好象是解决了问题。
• Albeit he has failed twice,he is not discouraged.虽然失败了两次，但他并没有气馁。

7 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

8 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

9 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

10 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

11 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

12 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

13 thumping   

adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持

参考例句：

• Her heart was thumping with emotion. 她激动得心怦怦直跳。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He was thumping the keys of the piano. 他用力弹钢琴。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

14 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。

15 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

16 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

17 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。