VOA标准英语2009年-US Denies Seeking to Bypass Afghanistan's Karza

The State Department Monday rejected as nonsense a published report that says the United States and key allies want to create a new senior post in the Afghan government to bypass President Hamid Karzai. The comments came as the Obama administration neared completion of a review of U.S. Afghan policy.
　
Afghan President Hamid Karzai (file photo)

Officials here are not volunteering any ringing endorsements¹ of the way President Karzai is handling his job, but they are rejecting the notion that the United States and European allies will push for creation of a new executive post in the Afghan government - a prime minister or a similar mandate² - to dilute³ Mr. Karzai's powers.

The British newspaper the Guardian⁴ reported Monday that altering the role of Mr. Karzai, who is accused by some western officials of tolerating corruption⁵ and mismanagement, is one possible element of a revised Afghan policy to be announced by the Obama administration.

In a talk with reporters, echoing comments in Europe by U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke, State Department Acting⁶ Spokesman Robert Wood termed the Guardian report "absolute nonsense" and said that changes in governmental structure there are for the Afghans to decide.

The comments came as the Obama administration neared announcement of at least the main elements of a revised Afghan policy based on the review ordered by President Obama shortly after he took office in January.

The President gave apparent clues to the content of the new policy in a broadcast interview late Sunday, saying that while he has ordered additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan, there has to be an exit strategy for U.S. forces and a sense that policy is not in "perpetual drift."
　
State Department Acting Spokesman Robert Wood (undated photo)

Spokesman Wood says the administration is looking for the "right mix" of political, economic and military factors to stabilize⁸ what he termed a "deteriorating⁹" situation in Afghanistan and Pakistani border areas, and that the ultimate aim is to allow Afghans to take responsibility and control of their own security:

"We don't want to be in Afghanistan any longer than necessary," said Robert Wood. "The Afghan people do not want us in Afghanistan any longer than necessary. So the challenge for us as an international community is to try to make sure we're marshaling our resources, our efforts, so that we can do the job and leave. And what we're trying to work out now in our review is what are the best modalities for taking that effort forward."

Administration officials have not been specific about the timing¹⁰ of announcements on the policy review, other than to say that they will come before Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attends a U.N.-organized international conference on Afghanistan at the end of this month at the Hague.

U.S. officials say they expect Iran to attend the meeting co-hosted by the Afghan government and the Netherlands. They said despite the administration's stated commitment to dialogue with Tehran, there is no current plan for a meeting at the Hague between Clinton and Iranian officials.

The State Department said Monday the administration still has a hand extended to Iran despite the chilly¹¹ reaction by Iran's supreme¹² leader to Mr. Obama's videotaped holiday greeting to Iran late last week, in which he said the United States seeks honest engagement with Iran's Islamic government based on mutual¹³ respect.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in an address Saturday despite the new administration's slogan of change, there has been no sign of genuine change in what he termed hostile U.S. policies toward Iran.

A senior State department official who spoke⁷ to reporters Monday said the sharp tone of the Iranian leader's comments was not a surprise. He said the administration will be seeking to engage Iran directly in the coming weeks, and that in his words "we'll have to see if they're willing to engage back."

1 endorsements   

n.背书( endorsement的名词复数 )；（驾驶执照上的）违章记录；（公开的）赞同；（通常为名人在广告中对某一产品的）宣传

参考例句：

• He must make much money on those tennis shoe endorsements he does. 他替那些网球鞋珍重广告，就赚了不少钱。 来自互联网
• But celebrity endorsements remain an important promotional tool for marketers. 尽管如此，邀明星助阵仍是营销人员重要的推广手段之一。 来自互联网

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 dilute   

vt.稀释，冲淡；adj.稀释的，冲淡的

参考例句：

• The water will dilute the wine.水能使酒变淡。
• Zinc displaces the hydrogen of dilute acids.锌置换了稀酸中的氢。

4 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

5 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

6 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

7 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。

8 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。

9 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

10 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

11 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

12 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

13 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。