American Troops to Leave Saudi Arabia

 

Broadcast: May 3, 2003
By Cynthia Kirk

This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program IN THE NEWS.
The United States says it will withdraw1 all combat forces from Saudi Arabia by the end of August. American officials will move the troops and military aircraft from Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan Air Base to nearby Qatar.
American Defense¹ Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Saudi Defense Minister Prince Sultan bin² Abdul Aziz made the announcement Tuesday at a news conference in Riyadh. They said American forces can now leave Saudi Arabia because Iraq is no longer a threat to the area.
Mister Rumsfeld said the withdrawal³ is part of an effort to reposition American forces in the Persian Gulf⁴ area, following the military victory in Iraq. The United States and Saudi Arabia agreed to the withdrawal. The two countries say they plan to continue close military relations. About four-hundred American troops will remain in Saudi Arabia to train the Saudi military.
The withdrawal began Monday. The United States moved its major air operations center at Prince Sultan Air Base to the al-Udeid air base in Qatar. American commanders used both bases to lead the air war over Iraq.
The withdrawal of about ten-thousand American troops is designed to ease tensions. Saudi Arabia has Islam's two holiest cities, Mecca and Medina. Many Muslims oppose the presence of American troops in Saudi Arabia. They say non-Muslims should not be welcome in land that is holy to Muslims. Al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden⁵, a Saudi, has noted⁶ the American military presence in Saudi Arabia. He said this was a reason for the attacks against the United States on September eleventh, two-thousand-one.
The American military presence in Saudi Arabia began after the Persian Gulf war in nineteen-ninety-one. The Prince Sultan Air Base was used for American planes guarding the area over southern Iraq where Iraqi military flights were banned.
However, tensions between the Saudis and Americans have increased over the years. Twenty-four American soldiers died in two separate terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia in nineteen-ninety-five and nineteen-ninety-six. Also, fifteen of the nineteen hijackers2 in the September eleventh terrorist attacks were identified as Saudi citizens.
Saudi rulers quietly agreed to America's requests for support during the recent military campaign in Iraq. But they tried to suppress the news that they let Americans use their bases. The war was unpopular among the Saudi people.
American officials say the military withdrawal will help ease political pressure on the Saudi royal family. Saudi rulers have faced demands from outside and inside the country to reform the country's political and educational system. Saudi officials said the withdrawal of American soldiers would clear the way for a series of democratic reforms.
This VOA Special English program, IN THE NEWS, was written by Cynthia Kirk. This is Steve Ember.

1． withdraw [wIT5drC:] v. 撤退
2． hijackers [5haIdVAk[] n. 强盗，劫持犯（尤指劫持飞机）

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

3 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。

4 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

5 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

6 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。