2007年VOA标准英语-Pakistan President Defends Record on War Agains

By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
12 April 2007

Senior military commanders from 21 countries, including the United States, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have completed Thursday a two-day anti-terrorism conference in Islamabad. The symposium¹ focused on improving international cooperation in the fight against terror, and comes as American lawmakers question host country - and key U.S. ally - Pakistan's commitment to the fight. VOA's Benjamin Sand has more from the Pakistan capital.

The two-day symposium was co-hosted by the Pakistan and U.S. armies in an attempt to improve military ties between various regional allies in the U.S.-led war on terror.

Addressing the conference's closing session Thursday afternoon, Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf rejected criticism that his country was somehow falling short in the fight against terrorism.

"There must be trust. If there is no trust, no commitment, then I think the coalition² is meaningless," he said. "It is meaningless if we are not all on board, if we are bluffing³ each other, if Pakistan is bluffing, and if I am bluffing, I think we should be out of the coalition."

Both U.S. and Afghan authorities say hundreds, perhaps thousands of Taleban insurgents⁴ have established military bases inside Pakistan's remote tribal⁵ areas.

Security experts have also linked elements within Pakistan's powerful military intelligence to many of the fugitive⁶ Taleban insurgents.

President Musharraf denied any ties between Pakistan's intelligence agencies and the militants⁷ and promised to continue his country's role in fight against regional extremism.

Pakistani army troops patrol a mountain area at Sholam checkpoint near Wana, the main town of Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal area along Afghan border, 11 Apr 2007

Pakistan has also sharply criticized new U.S. legislation that would link military aid to Islamabad with improved efforts against Taleban insurgents and al-Qaida linked militants.

Musharraf said such efforts could be counter productive, stressing Pakistan has already committed more than 85,000 troops to the fight and has lost hundreds of soldiers.

"We have contributed our maximum, We have suffered the maximum but we will continue until victory," he said.

President Musharraf also defended a series of controversial peace agreements between Islamabad and tribal militants along the Afghan border.

He said tribal forces allied⁸ with the government have recently killed more than 300 foreign militants in the South Waziristan tribal region, which is known for harboring Taleban and other extremists.

But critics say pro-Taleban extremists have used the agreements to carve out sanctuaries⁹ in parts of both North and South Waziristan, leading to a sharp rise in cross border attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

1 symposium   

n.讨论会，专题报告会；专题论文集

参考例句：

• What have you learned from the symposium?你参加了这次科学讨论会有什么体会？
• The specialists and scholars present at the symposium come from all corners of the country.出席研讨会的专家学者们来自全国各地。

2 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。

3 bluffing   

n. 威吓，唬人 动词bluff的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• I don't think he'll shoot—I think he's just bluffing. 我认为他不会开枪—我想他不过是在吓唬人。
• He says he'll win the race, but he's only bluffing. 他说他会赢得这场比赛，事实上只是在吹牛。

4 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

5 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

6 fugitive   

adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者

参考例句：

• The police were able to deduce where the fugitive was hiding.警方成功地推断出那逃亡者躲藏的地方。
• The fugitive is believed to be headed for the border.逃犯被认为在向国境线逃窜。

7 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

8 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

9 sanctuaries   

n.避难所( sanctuary的名词复数 )；庇护；圣所；庇护所

参考例句：

• The designation of special marine reserves and marine sanctuaries shall be subject to the State Council for approval. 海洋特别保护区、海上自然保护区的确定，须经国务院批准。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After 1965 he acquiesced when they established sanctuaries on that soil. 1965年以后，他默认了他们在那块土地上建立庇护所。 来自辞典例句