IN THE NEWS - Iraq War Anniversary and the Madrid Bombings

IN THE NEWS - Iraq War Anniversary and the Madrid Bombings
By Cynthia Kirk

Broadcast: Saturday, March 20, 2004

Broacast: March 20, 2004

This is Steve Ember with In the News, in VOA Special English.

President Bush said Friday that every government has a duty to fight and destroy terrorism. He said any sign of weakness only invites more violence for all nations. Mister Bush made the comments as he observed the first anniversary of the American-led invasion of Iraq. Diplomats¹ from more than eighty nations gathered at the White House to hear his speech.

Mister Bush also said differences over Iraq belong to what he called, the past. He said the ouster of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has removed a cause of violence and aggression² in the Middle East.

Also Friday, justice and interior ministers from European Union countries agreed at talks in Belgium to do more to fight terrorism. On March eleventh, bombs exploded on four trains in Madrid. More than two-hundred people were killed. More than one-thousand others were injured.

Many people in Spain blamed the government of Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar for the bombings. Mister Aznar has been a strong ally of President Bush and the war in Iraq. The Spanish government provided more than one-thousand troops for the American-led coalition³. Ninety-percent of Spaniards opposed the war.

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero will be the next Prime Minister of Spain. Mister Zapatero says support for the war made his country a target for terrorist attacks. He has said he plans to withdraw Spanish troops from Iraq unless they are placed under United Nations command by the end of June.

The People's Party of Mister Aznar lost power in general elections in Spain last Sunday, three days after the bombings. The opposition⁴ Socialist⁵ party of Mister Zapatero defeated the ruling conservatives. Before the attacks, the People's Party was widely expected to win the election.

The Spanish government says it had reason to blame the Basque separatist group ETA for the bombings. Police now say they believe Islamic militants⁶ linked to the al-Qaida group carried out the attacks. Some Spaniards say the government attempted to hide what it knew about links to Islamic extremists.

The government said Thursday that it would release intelligence documents linked to the attacks. Officials said they want to prove they did not try to trick the public.

On Friday, a judge in Madrid ordered five suspects in the bombings to remain in jail while an investigation⁷ continues. The three Moroccan and two Indian suspects deny any links to the attacks. Police also have been holding other people, including a man with Spanish citizenship⁸. Some suspects are believed to have links to bombings in Morocco last year. Those attacks killed thirty-three people and the twelve bombers⁹.

There have been reported claims of responsibility for the Madrid attacks by al-Qaida members or others acting¹⁰ in its name. American officials say they fear that the apparent influence on the Spanish elections will only strengthen Islamic terrorist groups.

In the News, in VOA Special English, was written by Cynthia Kirk. This is Steve Ember.

1 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

3 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

6 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

7 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

8 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

9 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 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。