Annan Recommends Iraq Elections be Put off until after Power

Annan Recommends Iraq Elections be Put off until after Power Transfer

Peter Heinlein

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has agreed with the United States that elections in Iraq are not feasible before a transitional government is in place in Baghdad.

As he emerged from a briefing with a group of 46 U.N. ambassadors Thursday, Mr. Annan said he would recommend that direct elections be put off until after the scheduled June 30 transfer of power.

"We shared with them our sense of the emerging consensus¹ or understanding that elections cannot be held before end of June, that the June 30 date for handover of sovereignty must be respected."

Mr. Annan declined to say when elections might be feasible. His only comment was "sometime in the future".

Special U.N. envoy² Lakhdar Brahimi, who just returned from a week-long visit to Iraq, called Thursday's recommendation the first of several the Secretary General will make. Among the sensitive issues still under consideration are how to choose a caretaker government.

Those decisions are not expected until after the secretary-general returns from a trip to Japan that begins Friday.

Thursday's recommendation goes against the wishes of Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the leader of Iraq's majority Shiite Muslim community. Ayatollah Sistani had called for direct elections before a transitional government takes power.

But the U.N. envoy, Mr. Brahimi, said Thursday he was hopeful the Shiite cleric would accept Mr. Annan's recommendation.

"Ayatollah Sistani and I had a very, very good discussion, and I think he, like everybody else, realizes that the United Nations has no agenda except to help them, and that if we can tell them something it is because we strongly believe it is in the interests of Iraq."

U.N. diplomats⁴ say a U.S. backed plan for an elaborate system of caucuses⁶ in Iraq has also been rejected. One diplomat³ said the plan had been discredited⁷ among Iraqis.

The U.S. administrator⁸ in Iraq, Paul Bremer, was quoted Thursday as saying changes are possible in the formula for choosing a new government in Baghdad. He, too, said the June 30 deadline for a handover of power to Iraqis should remain firm.

注释：

feasible [5fi:zEbl] adj. 可行的，切实可行的

in place  在适当的位置，适当

briefing [5bri:fiN] n. 情况简介会

recommend [rekE5mend] vt. 建议

put off  推迟

consensus [kEn5sensEs] n. 立场，共识

decline to  谢绝，拒绝

envoy [5envCi] n. 外交使节，特使

caretaker [5keEteIkE(r)] n. 管理者

agenda [E5dVendE] n. 议程

diplomat [5diplEmAt] n. 外交官

back [bAk] v. 支持

elaborate [I5lAbErEt] adj. 精细的，精心制作的

caucus⁵ [5kC:kEs] n. 政党核心会议

discredited [dis5kreditid] adj. 不光彩的，不名誉的

formula [5fC:mjulE] n. 形式

1 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

2 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

3 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

4 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》

5 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

6 caucuses   

n.（政党决定政策或推举竞选人的）核心成员( caucus的名词复数 )；决策干部；决策委员会；秘密会议

参考例句：

• Republican caucuses will happen in about 410 towns across Maine. 共和党团会议选举将在缅因州的约410个城镇进行。 来自互联网

7 discredited   

不足信的，不名誉的

参考例句：

• The reactionary authorities are between two fires and have been discredited. 反动当局弄得进退维谷，不得人心。
• Her honour was discredited in the newspapers. 她的名声被报纸败坏了。

8 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。