Iraqi Officials Ask Donors to Speed up Distribution of Finan

Iraqi Officials Ask Donors² to Speed up Distribution of Financial Assistance

Kerry Sheridan

Representatives from some 40 donor¹ countries financing Iraq's reconstruction³ program open a two-day meeting in Abu Dhabi Saturday. Iraqi officials are asking the donors to speed up the distribution of about $33 billion that was pledged last year.

Iraq's interim⁴ minister of planning and development, Mehdi al-Hafidh, opened the conference by urging donors to disperse⁵ $4 billion this year.

He also said that negotiations⁶ with lending countries have resulted in principle, in a 60 percent reduction of Iraq's overall $120 billion in debt. The minister said the official amount of debt reduction has not been announced yet.

Mr. al-Hafidh said Iraq's needs are enormous and urgent. Iraqi officials will present a list of some 700 key rebuilding projects to the group, which includes representatives from the United States, European Union, World Bank and International Monetary⁷ Fund.

The donors met in October of last year, and pledged to provide $33 billion in loans and grants to Iraq, although Iraqis estimated the country would need $56 billion over the next three years.

The money will be distributed through a trust fund managed by the United Nations Development Group and the World Bank.

A World Bank official has said the fund would probably disperse some $500 million to the Iraqi government by the scheduled June 30 transfer of power from the U.S.-led Coalition⁸ Authority to the interim Iraqi Governing Council.

Security concerns and ongoing⁹ terror attacks inside Iraq are discouraging many foreign investors¹⁰ from pouring money into the war-torn country until the situation stabilizes¹¹.

Iraqi officials say they need funds now to help rebuild schools, regulate the power supply and modernize¹² the agricultural industry.

 

注释：

donor [5dEJnE(r)] n. 捐赠人，赠与者

speed up  加速

pledge [pledV] v.允诺，保证

Mehdi al-Hafidh  伊拉克计划部部长。

disperse [dis5pE:s] v. 分散

World Bank  世界银行

International Monetary Fund  国际货币基金组织

loan [lEun] n. 贷款

grant [^rB:nt] n. 赠款

Development Group  发展小组

Coalition Authority  管理委员会

ongoing [5Cn^EuiN] adj. 正在进行的

regulate [5re^juleit] vt. 管制，控制

1 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

2 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

4 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

5 disperse   

vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散

参考例句：

• The cattle were swinging their tails to disperse the flies.那些牛甩动着尾巴驱赶苍蝇。
• The children disperse for the holidays.孩子们放假了。

6 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

7 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

8 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。

9 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

10 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

11 stabilizes   

n.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的名词复数 )v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The broadbased attachment of the mesenteric root stabilizes the small bowel. 肠系膜根部基底宽阔的附着面使小肠得以稳定。 来自辞典例句
• The available supply of industrial product and produce stabilizes growth. 工业品与农产品的有效供给稳定增长。 来自互联网

12 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。