2007年VOA标准英语-US Official: Violence, Poor Management Hamperin

By Dan Robinson
Washington
22 May 2007

The U.S. official responsible for auditing¹ reconstruction² efforts in Iraq has told Congress that violence, management problems, and inadequate³ Iraqi government contributions continue to hamper⁴ economic recovery there. VOA's Dan Robinson reports on a congressional hearing on Capitol Hill.

Stuart Bowen (Jan 2007 photo)

In his latest appearance before Congress, Special Inspector⁵ General for Iraqi Reconstruction, Stuart Bowen, said while reconstruction efforts have not failed, key problems continue to challenge "all that the U.S. program has sought" to accomplish on the reconstruction front. "The reconstruction program in Iraq has been fraught⁶ with challenge, a mixture of success and failure, shortfalls and successful projects achieved," he said.

While numerous projects have been completed under the $21-billion Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund, Bowen notes that the burden of reconstruction has is now squarely on the shoulders of the Iraqi government.

Ninety percent of that fund has been spent, along with about 80 percent of another fund for Iraqi security forces.

On his recent 16th visit to Iraq, Bowen says he encountered a palpably dangerous environment adding that lack of security is chief among obstacles hampering⁷ reconstruction.

The U.S. House Foreign affairs committee chairman Tom Lantos voices frustration⁸ with the reconstruction effort. "These are the projects we handed off with so much fanfare⁹. It is simply outrageous¹⁰ that we are mired¹¹ in the same mud of incompetence¹² that we got stuck in last year and the year before that," he said.

Lantos and others refer not only to poor execution by contractors¹³ on specific projects, such as the Baghdad Police College, but to a pattern in which Iraqis are often unable to sustain them.

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen says lessons should be learned. "Serious errors have been made and continue to be made in the reconstruction process and we must learn from these and achieve long-term reconstruction goals which are directly inter-twined with long-term security and stability objectives," he said.

Iraq Inspector General Bowen says the Iraqi government has failed to devote resources from its budget, which stands at about $41 billion, to address a range of needs. "Last year they spent about 22 percent of their capital budget. That is not going to remedy the very real problems within their infrastructure¹⁴ that currently exist, that cause low output of oil, that cause limited generation of [electric] power on the grid," he said.

Bowen says corruption¹⁵ remains¹⁶ endemic in Iraq, with an estimate of $5 billion lost to it annually¹⁷.

Committee member,Democratic Congressman¹⁸ Gary Ackerman, says the impact on the oil and electricity generation sectors¹⁹ is worrisome. "Two months ago, the Iraqi government was still not producing either oil or electricity at rates that matched pre-war performance, nor were they able to spend a significant amount of the money they had budgeted to improve either situation. Two months later the same could still be said," he said.

Unhappiness in Congress with the failure of key donors²⁰ to fulfill²¹ pledges for Iraq made in a 2004 conference in Madrid led to some drama during the hearing as Congressman Lantos pressed Bowen to name those countries with shortfalls. "We are not afraid to embarrass countries which made commitments at a public donors conference and failed to fulfill them," he said.

It also produced this exchange between Bowen and Republican Congressman Dan Burton:

BURTON: We are pouring our money into there, and our life's blood into there, and we are protecting their fannies over there, and they are not living up to their commitment. I just would like to know who is policing that?

BOWEN: Well Mr. Burton, you are exactly right because our commitment was the [Iraq Reconstruction Fund] and we provided 100 percent of it, $21 billion as opposed to $500 million or $250 million [by others].

Bowen estimated that Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates had fulfilled less than 10 percent of their pledges, while European Commission pledges have also lagged.

He repeats a call for better integration²² among U.S. government agencies regarding post-conflict management pointing to weak program and project oversight²³.

And Bowen expresses concern that Iraqi government's anti-corruption efforts, including enforcement powers, have been weakened by decisions in the Iraqi prime minister's office and a provision in the Iraqi criminal code that permits the exemption²⁴ of government employees from prosecution²⁵.

1 auditing   

n.审计，查账，决算

参考例句：

• Auditing standards are the rules governing how an audit is performed.收支检查标准是规则统治一个稽核如何被运行。
• The auditing services market is dominated by a few large accounting firms.审计服务市场被几家大型会计公司独占了。

2 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。

3 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

4 hamper   

vt.妨碍，束缚，限制；n.(有盖的)大篮子

参考例句：

• There are some apples in a picnic hamper.在野餐用的大篮子里有许多苹果。
• The emergence of such problems seriously hamper the development of enterprises.这些问题的出现严重阻碍了企业的发展。

5 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

6 fraught   

adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的

参考例句：

• The coming months will be fraught with fateful decisions.未来数月将充满重大的决定。
• There's no need to look so fraught!用不着那么愁眉苦脸的！

7 hampering   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• So fraud on cows and development aid is seriously hampering growth. 因此在牛问题上和发展补助上的诈骗严重阻碍了发展。
• Short-termism, carbon-trading, disputing the science-are hampering the implementation of direct economically-led objectives. 短效主义，出售二氧化碳，进行科学辩论，这些都不利于实现以经济为主导的直接目标。

8 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

9 fanfare   

n.喇叭；号角之声；v.热闹地宣布

参考例句：

• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide.这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。
• A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King.嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。

10 outrageous   

adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的

参考例句：

• Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
• Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。

11 mired   

abbr.microreciprocal degree 迈尔德（色温单位）v.深陷( mire的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The country was mired in recession. 这个国家陷入了经济衰退的困境。
• The most brilliant leadership can be mired in detail. 最有才干的领导也会陷于拘泥琐事的困境中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 incompetence   

n.不胜任，不称职

参考例句：

• He was dismissed for incompetence. 他因不称职而被解雇。
• She felt she had been made a scapegoat for her boss's incompetence. 她觉得，本是老板无能，但她却成了替罪羊。

13 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

15 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

16 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

17 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

18 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

19 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

20 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》

21 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

22 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

23 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

24 exemption   

n.豁免，免税额，免除

参考例句：

• You may be able to apply for exemption from local taxes.你可能符合资格申请免除地方税。
• These goods are subject to exemption from tax.这些货物可以免税。

25 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。