VOA常速英语2007年-Rice Urges 'Comprehensive Approach' to PKK Atta

By David Gollust
Washington
18 December 2007

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says Iraqi, Turkish and U.S. authorities need to work together to curb¹ cross-border attacks into Turkey by Iraq-based Kurdish extremists. An unannounced visit by Rice to Iraq Tuesday was overshadowed by Turkish air and ground action against PKK rebels in northern Iraq. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

Rice made the surprise trip to Iraq from Paris to again press Iraqi political leaders to take advantage of recent security gains to pursue national reconciliation². But she arrived amid renewed Iraqi-Turkish tensions over Turkey's latest military moves against the PKK, the Kurdistan Workers Party.

Turkey on Sunday staged air-strikes against Kurdish villages in northern Iraq believed to harbor PKK rebels, who have waged a campaign of attacks in support of autonomy for the Kurdish region of Turkey. That was followed by a brief ground incursion by a reported 300 Turkish troops early Tuesday in a remote Iraqi border area.

Northern Iraq has been the country's most stable region but the relative calm is jeopardized³ by the activities of the PKK, which the United States has long listed as a terrorist organization.

At a news conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari in Baghdad, Secretary Rice said United States, Iraq and Turkey share a common interest in stopping the activities of the PKK, which she said threaten to undo⁴ the stability of the northern region:

"The United States has constantly counseled that we need an overall, comprehensive approach to this problem, that no one should do anything that threatens to destabilize the north. As to the activities, things unfortunately do go on along this border," said Rice. "As to the activity this Sunday, this was a Turkish decision and we have made clear to the Turkish government that we continue to be concerned about anything that could lead to innocent civilian⁵ casualties or to a destabilization of the north."

Turkey has said it has a right to combat the separatists, whose presence in Iraq it contends is at least tolerated by the mainstream⁶ Iraqi Kurdish factions⁷ who govern the area.

Appearing with Rice, Iraqi Foreign Minister Zebari said the Baghdad government has protested the latest Turkish military moves. He said unilateral action by Ankara harms the interests of both Iraq and Turkey, but that Baghdad authorities "fully⁸ appreciate the legitimate⁹ security concerns" Turkey has about the PKK.

"We have shared, common goals here. We want stability and security in Iraq and with Iraq's neighbors in the border areas. The PKK presence is unacceptable," said Zebari. "The PKK has conducted terrorist activities against Turkish interests and civilians¹⁰, and their presence is not acceptable either by the Iraqi government or the KRG authorities."

The president of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish Regional Government, Massoud Barzani, refused to meet with Rice in Baghdad because of what aides said was tacit U.S. support for the latest Turkish air strikes.

A Barzani spokesman said the United States supervises Iraq air space and thus it is not possible that an incursion by Turkish planes could occur without U.S. knowledge.

The White House said Tuesday the United States continues to share intelligence on the PKK with both Turkey and Iraq. But officials here refused comment on a Washington Post report that "real-time" U.S. intelligence has helped Turkish authorities target the PKK in recent attacks.

1 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

2 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

3 jeopardized   

危及，损害( jeopardize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The soldier jeopardized his life to save his comrade. 这个士兵冒生命的危险救他的同志。
• The occasional failed project or neglected opportunity does not jeopardized overall progress. 偶然失败的项目或失误的机会并没有影响总的进展。

4 undo   

vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销

参考例句：

• His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
• I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。

5 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

6 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

7 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

10 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。