VOA双语新闻 Iraqis Postpone National Conference（在线收听）

Iraqi officials say they have postponed a key national conference that was scheduled to start on Saturday. The aim was to choose a special council to oversee the new interim government.

伊拉克官员说，他们推迟了原定星期六举行的一次重要全国性会议。这次会议的目的是要选出一个监督临时政府工作的特别委员会。

Sources close to the organizers of the conference say it has been delayed at the request of the United Nations, which wanted more time to prepare. It is now expected to take place in mid-August.

与大会组织者关系密切的有关方面说，推迟是应联合国的要求，联合国希望伊拉克有更多时间准备这次大会。目前，会议可望在8月中旬召开。

The point of the conference is to select a national council, which will advise and oversee the Iraqi interim government, serving as a watchdog of sorts. About 1000 delegates from all over the country were expected to take part in the conference and pick the 100-member national council.

会议目的是要选出一个全国委员会，由它来引导和监督伊拉克临时政府的工作，起到一种类似监督的作用。来自全国大约一千名代表将出席会议，由他们挑选委员会的一百位成员。

But how important is this to the average Iraqi? Some, including 35-year-old high school teacher Ahmed Mohammed Arif, have been following the process pretty carefully.

这次会议对普通伊拉克人很重要。一些平民很关心会议的进程，其中包括三十五岁的高中老师阿里夫。

"Not only me, me and most of the Iraqis, they are concerned about this council. It's a very important step for Iraq to be on the right way to democracy," he said.

阿里夫说：“不止是我，我和大多数伊拉克人都很看重这个委员会。它对伊拉克走上民主的正确道路非常重要。”

But the interim government and the United Nations may want to use the next two weeks to spread the word, because many Iraqis appear to have no idea what the conference or the national council are all about. But that does not keep them from having high expectations.

然而，临时政府和联合国也许还需要用两个礼拜的时间来传达这个消息，因为许多伊拉克人似乎一点也不了解这个大会和委员会的情况。但是，这并不影响他们有较高的期望值。

College student Ahmed Ali said that this is the first time he has heard of the national council.He added that the most important thing is holding a free election to choose a government that will represent all Iraqis, not like the former regime, which only represented a few. The main thing, he says, is that the election should be honest.

大学生阿里说，这是他第一次听说全国委员会。他说：“最重要的就是自由选举，选出一个能代表所有伊拉克人民的政府，而不是象以前的政体，仅仅代表少数人。主要的就是有一个诚实的选举。”

Engineer Luay Majid Al-Azzawi, 35, says he has heard of the national council, but he is not sure what it is supposed to do.

三十三岁的工程师阿扎维说，他听说过全国委员会，但不清楚具体的工作。

"We do not know anything about this council," he said. "What we want is to see an improvement in security and the economy."

他说：“我们不知道任何有关委员会的事情。我们所期望的是国家安全和经济有所改善。”

Recent news reports have indicated that it has been hard to decide who gets to participate in the national conference, because so many groups and factions have wanted to be there. But several parties, including one prominent Sunni Muslim group, have announced that they are boycotting the conference, because they do not think it will be fair. One report indicates that the delay is at least in part aimed at convincing them to participate.

最近有消息说，出席会议的人难以决定，因为有太多的组织和团体想参加。但有些党派，比如一个著名的逊尼派穆斯林团体，宣布会抵制这个大会，因为他们认为会议不会公平。有报道说，这次推迟会议的原因，至少在一定程度上是为了说服他们参加会议。