VOA标准英语2009年-Iraqi Prime Minister Urges Reconciliation with

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is calling for reconciliation¹ with former Saddam Hussein supporters, during a tribal² reconciliation conference in Baghdad. Those adversaries³ who stand in the way of cooperation, he says, must be eliminated.
　
Nouri al-Maliki (file photo)

In the wake of his strong showing in January provincial⁴ elections, a confident Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is calling for reconciliation between former foes⁵, including supporters of deposed⁶ Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Prime Minister al-Maliki urged a gathering⁷ in Baghdad of the Bani Wail⁸, a large Iraqi Shi'ite tribe, to work for "reconciliation" with their fellow Iraqis. Al-Maliki stressed that this was the only way to rebuild their war-torn country.

Iraq, he said, must open its bosom⁹ to all those who want to help rebuild the country, and in that vein¹⁰, we must continue with our efforts to counter those who stand in the way of rebuilding. Those who are corrupt¹¹, we have done much to combat them, but there are still many who remain. They must be fought, like we fought al-Qaida, the Takfiris, the militias¹² and other outlaws¹³.

Despite his plea for reconciliation, Mr. Maliki has angered many Iraqi political and tribal leaders, especially those from the rival Sunni sect¹⁴, with a project to create tribal councils loyal to himself.

A number of key political figures have opposed the set up of such councils, causing a recent rash of discord¹⁵, and upsetting US-brokered attempts at reconciliation.

Top Sunni politicians accuse Mr. Maliki of trying to create a power-base along the lines of the U.S.-sponsored Sunni Awakening¹⁶ Councils to promote his own political fortunes in the lead-up to parliamentary elections, next year.

A recent surge in violence in Iraq, including a truck bombing that killed at least 10 people and wounded over 50 in the predominantly Shi'ite town of Hilla, suggest that a latent Shi'ite-Sunni conflict continues, despite attempts to calm tensions.

Baghdad political science professor Sa'ad al-Hadithy says that the inability to heal the political conflict in Iraq inevitably¹⁷ leads to violence.

Political conflicts between the many different political forces, he says, give a perfect cover for militias to resort to violence. Many political parties, he stresses, are still armed and whenever the political process grinds to a halt, they use their arms to try and impose their views on others.

Hadithy asserts that the political dialogue between rival forces is an "on-again, off-again" thing that quickly degenerates¹⁸ into shouting matches, and then violent conflict.

He says that as soon as the public discourse¹⁹ or shouting matches in the media reach a certain level, the violence spills over. Some, he says, are fighting U.S. policy, while others are combating Iranian schemes in the Iraq, and the government is unable to contain the violence that results.

Many Iraqi sunni leaders oppose the Maliki government's increasingly warm ties with Iran. Iraqi and Iranian leaders have recently traded visits and pledged increased cooperation in the fields of trade, culture, education, and manufacturing.

Iraq and Iran fought a bitter and bloody²⁰ seven-year war between 1981 and 1988 in which hundreds of thousands died and thousands of prisoners were taken, on both sides.

1 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。

2 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

3 adversaries   

n.对手，敌手( adversary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• That would cause potential adversaries to recoil from a challenge. 这会迫使潜在的敌人在挑战面前退缩。 来自辞典例句
• Every adversaries are more comfortable with a predictable, coherent America. 就连敌人也会因有可以预料的，始终一致的美国而感到舒服得多。 来自辞典例句

4 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

5 foes   

敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They steadily pushed their foes before them. 他们不停地追击敌人。
• She had fought many battles, vanquished many foes. 她身经百战，挫败过很多对手。

6 deposed   

v.罢免( depose的过去式和过去分词 )；（在法庭上）宣誓作证

参考例句：

• The president was deposed in a military coup. 总统在军事政变中被废黜。
• The head of state was deposed by the army. 国家元首被军队罢免了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

8 wail   

vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸

参考例句：

• Somewhere in the audience an old woman's voice began plaintive wail.观众席里，一位老太太伤心地哭起来。
• One of the small children began to wail with terror.小孩中的一个吓得大哭起来。

9 bosom   

n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的

参考例句：

• She drew a little book from her bosom.她从怀里取出一本小册子。
• A dark jealousy stirred in his bosom.他内心生出一阵恶毒的嫉妒。

10 vein   

n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络

参考例句：

• The girl is not in the vein for singing today.那女孩今天没有心情唱歌。
• The doctor injects glucose into the patient's vein.医生把葡萄糖注射入病人的静脉。

11 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

12 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

13 outlaws   

歹徒，亡命之徒( outlaw的名词复数 )； 逃犯

参考例句：

• During his year in the forest, Robin met many other outlaws. 在森林里的一年，罗宾遇见其他许多绿林大盗。
• I didn't have to leave the country or fight outlaws. 我不必离开自己的国家，也不必与不法分子斗争。

14 sect   

n.派别，宗教，学派，派系

参考例句：

• When he was sixteen he joined a religious sect.他16岁的时候加入了一个宗教教派。
• Each religious sect in the town had its own church.该城每一个宗教教派都有自己的教堂。

15 discord   

n.不和，意见不合，争论，（音乐）不和谐

参考例句：

• These two answers are in discord.这两个答案不一样。
• The discord of his music was hard on the ear.他演奏的不和谐音很刺耳。

16 awakening   

n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的

参考例句：

• the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
• People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。

17 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

18 degenerates   

衰退，堕落，退化( degenerate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Liberty often degenerates into lawlessness. 自由常常变质为无法无天。
• Her health degenerates rapidly. 她的健康状况迅速恶化。

19 discourse   

n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述

参考例句：

• We'll discourse on the subject tonight.我们今晚要谈论这个问题。
• He fell into discourse with the customers who were drinking at the counter.他和站在柜台旁的酒客谈了起来。

20 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。