France Willing to Train Iraq's Police, Military, says Defens

France Willing to Train Iraq's Police, Military, says Defense¹ Minister

 

Laurie Kassman

French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie says her government is willing to help train Iraq's police and military but rules out sending French troops there. The French official made her remarks Friday in Washington, where she is seeking to smooth relations that soured over France's opposition² to the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

Defense Minister Alliot-Marie says it is out of the question to send French troops to Iraq now. But she adds that it is in nobody's interest that the intervention³ in Iraq fails.

"Therefore France is standing⁴ ready to be involved in the reconstruction⁵ in Iraq as soon as Iraqi people have regained⁶ their sovereignty," she said.

Ms. Alliot Marie told a conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington that France would be available to help train Iraq's future military and police forces, similar to what France and Germany are doing in Afghanistan.

A leading French newspaper reports that President Jacques Chirac is also said to be considering the deployment⁷ of a military contingent⁸ after Iraq regains⁹ its sovereignty if it were within the context of a United Nations mandate¹⁰ to NATO.

Ms. Alliot-Marie, a close political ally of President Chirac, talks frankly¹¹ about the need to repair French-U.S. relations, which soured over French opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

"France definitely does not seek systematically¹² to counter the U.S. in the world or to diminish its influence," said Michele Alliot-Marie. "We simply want to promote our vision of things as we respect that of others. So let us discuss how to make the most of today's globalized world while preserving the earth's diversity, which is an asset to all."

Ms. Alliot-Marie says it is time to reinvent the transatlantic partnership¹³.

"To renew the transatlantic relationship we have to put behind us the divisions that were expressed in 2003," she continued. "There needs to be a clean slate¹⁴ and a fresh start from two shared ambitions."

Addressing another U.S. concern, she stresses that Europe's defense ambitions are aimed at strengthening, not weakening the NATO alliance.

While officials on both sides of the Atlantic say relations are warming, France and Germany were irritated by the Bush administration's decision to exclude those who did not join the U.S.-led war in Iraq from commercial contracts in its reconstruction program.

 

 

注释：

Michele Alliot-Marie  米歇尔·艾里奥特·玛丽，法国历史上第一位女性国防部部长。

rule out  取消，排除

out of the question  不可能

intervention [7intE(:)5venFEn] n. 干涉

sovereignty [5sCvrinti] n. 主权

the Center for Strategic and International Studies  策略与国际研究中心

Afghanistan [Af5^AnistAn] n. 阿富汗（西南亚国家）

Jacques Chirac  雅克·希拉克，法国总统。

contingent [kEn5tindVEnt] n. 分遣队

mandate [5mAndeit] n. 要求，（书面）命令，委任托管权

NATO  北大西洋公约组织North Atlantic Treaty Organization的简称。

ally [E5lai] n. 支持者

counter [5kaJntE(r)] vt. 反对，驳回

diminish [di5miniF] v. （使）减少，（使）变小

globalize [5^lEubElaiz] v. 使全球化

asset [5Aset] n. 资产

transatlantic [5trAnzEt5lAntik] adj. 大西洋两岸国家的

partnership [5pB:tnEFip] n. 合作伙伴

slate [sleit] n. 石板

irritate [5iriteit] vt. 激怒，使急躁

exclude [iks5klu:d] vt. 把……排除在外，排斥

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 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。

3 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

6 regained   

复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• The majority of the people in the world have regained their liberty. 世界上大多数人已重获自由。
• She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise. 她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。

7 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

8 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

9 regains   

复得( regain的第三人称单数 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• It will take a lot of repair work before the theatre regains its former splendour. 要想剧院重拾昔日的辉煌，必须进行大规模整修。
• He lays down the book and regains the consciousness. 他惊悸初定，掩卷细思。

10 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。

11 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

12 systematically   

adv.有系统地

参考例句：

• This government has systematically run down public services since it took office.这一屆政府自上台以来系统地削减了公共服务。
• The rainforest is being systematically destroyed.雨林正被系统地毀灭。

13 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

14 slate   

n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订

参考例句：

• The nominating committee laid its slate before the board.提名委员会把候选人名单提交全体委员会讨论。
• What kind of job uses stained wood and slate? 什么工作会接触木头污浊和石板呢？