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Iraqi officials say much work is needed to secure and restore the port of Umm Qasr in the oil-rich province of Basra. They charge criminals and corrupt¹ officials have been working together to siphon off wealth while terrorists are sabotaging² reconstruction³.

伊拉克官员说，需要经过大量的努力才能确保盛产石油的巴士拉省的乌姆盖斯尔港口恢复安全，正常运作。他们指责罪犯分子和腐败官员狼狈为奸，吸取民脂民膏。与此同时，恐怖分子又在破坏重建工程。

Iraq's government has held a conference in the southeast city of Basra Wednesday to discuss efforts at reconstructing the important port of Umm Qasr.

伊拉克政府星期三在这个巴士拉省最南端的城市举行会议，讨论重要港口乌姆盖斯尔的重建工作。

Iraqi officials say there are about 80 shipwrecks⁴ littering the coastal⁵ area and blocking shipping⁶ lanes that need to be removed. They say the port also needs to be dredged so larger ships can get closer for loading and unloading. They also want to almost double the tonnage of ships the port currently handles.

伊拉克官员说，在沿海一带有大约80艘堵塞航道的沉船，必须予以清除。此外，为了让大型船只停靠还得挖掘疏通这个港口。他们还希望把这个港口目前的船只吞吐量吨位提高一倍。

Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh said some improvements were being made, but criminal gangs and corrupt officials were colluding together, slowing their efforts.

伊拉克副总理萨勒赫说，某些工作已经开始着手进行，但是犯罪团伙和腐败官员相互勾结，阻碍了他们的努力。

Salah says gangs are stealing everything good in the area. He says all the government agencies need to work together to stop these bandits that corrupt the country's treasures and prevent the distribution of wealth for all Iraqis.

他说，犯罪团伙盗窃一切值钱的东西。他说，所有的政府机构需要通力协作，制止这些匪徒败坏国家财产，并且防止他们窃取属于全体伊拉克人民的财富。

The British troops bombed Umm Qasr during the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq and took over security. Reconstruction efforts started almost immediately, but sabotage⁷ has slowed the work.

英国部队2003年在美国主导的出兵伊拉克行动中轰炸了乌姆盖斯尔港，事后接手了几乎是立即开始的安全重建工作，但是各类破坏行动却阻碍了有关努力。

Mowaffak al-Rubaie is Iraq's National Security Advisor⁸. He says corruption⁹ and bad elements in the port are one of the groups supporting terrorism in Iraq.

伊拉克国家安全顾问鲁柏依说：“港口地区的腐败现象和犯罪分子是伊拉克恐怖主义的支持力量之一。

Residents of Basra say crime and terrorism have flourished since the Britain handed control back to Iraqi forces in December.

巴士拉省居民说，自从英国12月把控制权交还给伊拉克部队以后，犯罪活动和恐怖行动日益猖狂。”

Thousands of people protested in Basra over the weekend demanding police do more to stop rampant¹⁰ crime and restore order.

数以千计的人上周末在巴士拉举行抗议，要求警方制止猖獗的犯罪行为，恢复治安。

Britain's Defense¹¹ Secretary Des Browne made a surprise visit to Iraq Wednesday and pledged support at the conference, held at the Basra airport.

英国国防大臣德斯.布朗星期三突访伊拉克，并在巴士拉机场举行的会议上承诺提供支持。

"The oil infrastructure¹² and this magnificent airport we are in today and the port of Umm Qasr are potentially some of Iraq's most valuable assets," he said.

他说：“这个漂亮的机场和这里石油工业基础设施以及乌姆盖斯尔港口，这些都可能是伊拉克最宝贵的潜在财富。”

But Browne said they should not underestimate the challenges they are facing. He said it would require a strong commitment from the Iraqi government to achieve the minimum level of security required for international shipping codes. He said without that accreditation¹³ the big international shipping companies would refuse to use the port.

但是布朗说，不可低估他们所面临的困难。他说，伊拉克政府必须付出极大的努力才能达到符合国际海运最低限度的安全标准。他说，如果达不到合格标准，大型国际海运公司会拒绝使用这个港口。

Britain still has about 4,000 troops in Iraq but is considering withdrawing a large portion in the coming months.

目前还有约4千名英国官兵留在伊拉克，但是英国当局正考虑在今后几个月内撤回其中的很大一部分。