2007年VOA标准英语-Nominees for US Ambassadors to Iraq, Afghanista

By Deborah Tate
Capitol Hill
15 February 2007

President Bush's nominees² to be the next ambassadors to Iraq and Afghanistan assured a Senate panel Thursday that if confirmed, they would work to promote stability in both countries.  VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.

nominee1 to become ambassador to Iraq, right, testifies on Capitol Hill next to William Wood, left, nominated to become ambassador to Afghanistan" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070521/1405260.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Ryan Crocker, President Bush's nominee to become ambassador to Iraq, right, testifies on Capitol Hill next to William Wood, left, nominated to become ambassador to Afghanistan

Ryan Crocker, who has been nominated to be U.S. ambassador to Iraq, and William Wood, nominated to be U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, appeared before a confirmation³ hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ambassador Crocker defended President Bush's decision to increase troop strength in Iraq by 21,500, saying it would help dampen down violence to allow political and economic activity to move forward.  But he acknowledged that progress toward that end depends in large part on the Iraqis.  It is a point, he said, he would underscore in Baghdad if he is confirmed.

"It will require hard work and hard decisions on the part of the Iraqis," he said.  "If you confirm me, I intend to deliver that message clearly to Iraq's leaders.  The Iraqis have to make some tough choices and then follow through on them.  We need to help them to do so.  Their success will be ours, in Iraq, in the region, and beyond.  But similarly, failure would feed the forces of terror and extremism, well beyond Iraq's borders.  We would all pay the price."

As the United States increases troop levels in Iraq, it is also doing so in Afghanistan.  President Bush earlier in the day announced that more troops were being deployed⁴ in Afghanistan to help NATO forces launch a spring offensive against the Taleban.   Ambassador William Wood said the action is necessary to prevent an escalation⁵ of violence in the country.

"One challenge is the probability of increased violence in the spring by the Taleban, as there has been for the last several years," he noted⁶.  "Although the Taleban probably poses no strategic threat to the government of Afghanistan at this time, it is important that the Afghan government, local leaders, internal security forces, and ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] forces prepare for such attacks.  I would consider it a critical part of my job to support them however possible."

Both Ambassador Wood and Ambassador Crocker expressed concern about Iranian influence in Iraq.

On Wednesday, President Bush said Iran's elite⁷ Quds force, which has ties to the Tehran government, is supplying sophisticated bomb-making materials to insurgent⁸ groups in Iraq.

"Iran is currently playing - not only unhelpful, but deeply disturbing role - in Iraq," added Ambassador Crocker.  "We would obviously like that to change.  At this juncture⁹, I am not persuaded that we ourselves could be the agent of that change.  The Iranians understand this pretty clearly.  Perhaps through engagement in a regional context, they will take another look at what their long-term interests in the region are, and vis-à-vis Iraq are, and shift course."

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has proposed a conference of Iraq's neighbors, including Iran, to elicit¹⁰ their help in reducing violence in the country.

Ambassador Wood said he would support U.S. engagement with Iran on such issues as drug trafficking.  But he noted the Bush administration has made it clear there would be no such engagement until Tehran halts its nuclear program, which the United States and its allies believe is aimed at producing nuclear weapons.  

"In the case of Afghanistan, the United States and Iran have a number of interests in common:  there are a number of areas where we could profitably work together if we could begin a process of engagement," he said.  "Iran is strongly counter-drug, for instance.  They have one of the highest numbers of heroin¹¹ addicts¹² in the world, and their effort to fight the heroin trade is extraordinary.  At the same time, we have to get past the issue of weapons of mass destruction, and solve it."

Wood pledged, if confirmed, to support the Kabul government's efforts toward eradication¹³ of poppy fields to control heroin production.   He is currently U.S. ambassador to Colombia, where the United States is aiding Colombian anti-drug and anti-insurgency operations in a country that is the world's largest cocaine¹⁴ producer. 

If confirmed, Ambassador Wood would replace Ronald Neumann as the top U.S. diplomat¹⁵ in Afghanistan.

Ambassador Crocker, who is currently U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, would succeed Zalmay Khalilzad in Iraq. 

The Senate is expected to confirm both nominees in the coming weeks.

1 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

2 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

3 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

4 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

5 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

6 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。

7 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

8 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

9 juncture   

n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头

参考例句：

• The project is situated at the juncture of the new and old urban districts.该项目位于新老城区交界处。
• It is very difficult at this juncture to predict the company's future.此时很难预料公司的前景。

10 elicit   

v.引出,抽出,引起

参考例句：

• It was designed to elicit the best thinking within the government. 机构的设置是为了在政府内部集思广益。
• Don't try to elicit business secrets from me. I won't tell you anything. 你休想从我这里套问出我们的商业机密, 我什么都不会告诉你的。

11 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

12 addicts   

有…瘾的人( addict的名词复数 )； 入迷的人

参考例句：

• a unit for rehabilitating drug addicts 帮助吸毒者恢复正常生活的机构
• There is counseling to help Internet addicts?even online. 有咨询机构帮助网络沉迷者。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

13 eradication   

n.根除

参考例句：

• The eradication of an established infestation is not easy. 根除昆虫蔓延是不容易的。
• This is often required for intelligent control and eradication. 这经常需要灵巧的控制与消除。

14 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

15 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。