2006年VOA标准英语-Bush, Blair Discuss Iraq Study Group Report

By Paula Wolfson
White House
07 December 2006

One day after the release of a much-anticipated report on Iraq, President Bush discussed its contents with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.  We have details from VOA White House correspondent Paula Wolfson.

The report issued by the Iraq Study Group says conditions are grave and deteriorating¹, and a major change of strategy is warranted.

 
President Bush, right, gestures toward British PM Tony Blair during  joint² press availability in Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington,  7 Dec. 2006
President Bush says he agrees with the assessment³ of the situation in Iraq.  "It is bad," he said.

"And, I have made it abundantly clear how tough it is," Mr. Bush said. "I still believe we are going to succeed.  I believe we will prevail."

Speaking at a news conference with Prime Minister Blair, the president said he welcomes all the advice he is getting on Iraq, and says the report of the 10-member commission of foreign policy experts is the first set of recommendations to land on his desk.

Mr. Bush praised the spirit of the commission, saying it proves that people from various points on the political spectrum⁴ can come together to address a serious problem.  But he made clear, he intends to pick and chose from the recommendations put forward by the panel.

 
President Bush, center, speaks to  media following meeting with Iraq Study Group in Cabinet Room of the White House, 6 Dec 06
"I thought the report did a good job of showing what is possible," Mr. Bush said. "The Congress is not going to accept every recommendation in the report, and neither will the administration.  But there are a lot of very important things in the report that we ought to seriously consider."

The president was asked about the commission's call for a drawdown of U.S. troops by 2008, and said he believes the members of the panel agree that any withdrawals⁶ should be tied to conditions on the ground. 

He also made clear he could not accept the recommendation for direct U.S. engagement with Iraq's neighbors, Syria and Iran.  

The president said once again that Iran must first suspend uranium enrichment, and added, both Syria and Iran must show they are serious about wanting to improve the security situation in Iraq.

"If people come to the table to discuss Iraq, they must come understanding their responsibilities to not fund terrorists, to help this young democracy survive, to help with the economics of the country," he said.

Prime Minister Blair said support for the Iraqi government, particularly in the region, is crucial to its success.   He said some extremists are getting help from Iraq's neighbors.

"Now, the very reason we have problems in parts of Iraq, and we know this very well down in the south of Iraq, is that Iran, for example, has been doing that. It has been basically financing and supporting terrorism," he said.

Mr. Blair said it is difficult to overstate just how tough the situation is in Iraq.  But he noted⁷ that the one thing the Iraq Study Group did not call for is an immediate⁸, unconditional⁹ withdrawal⁵, and he said everyone wants to find a solution to let democracy take firm root in Iraq and bring the violence to an end.  

1 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

2 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

3 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

4 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

5 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。

6 withdrawals   

n.收回，取回，撤回( withdrawal的名词复数 )；撤退，撤走；收回[取回，撤回，撤退，撤走]的实例；推出（组织），提走（存款），戒除毒瘾，对说过的话收回，孤僻

参考例句：

• He has made several withdrawals from his bank account. 他从银行账户上提了几次款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It is not the bank's policy to deduct interest on withdrawals. 提款需扣除利息这并非是本银行的政策。 来自辞典例句

7 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。

8 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

9 unconditional   

adj.无条件的，无限制的，绝对的

参考例句：

• The victorious army demanded unconditional surrender.胜方要求敌人无条件投降。
• My love for all my children is unconditional.我对自己所有孩子的爱都是无条件的。