2007年VOA标准英语-General Petraeus Says Some Troops May Leave Ira

By Al Pessin
Washington
10 September 2007
 

The American commander in Iraq says the U.S. troop presence there will be reduced by about 2,000 this month, and another 3,500 by the end of the year. But General David Petraeus said he needs most of the 168,000 U.S. troops he has now well into next year to preserve security gains and give the Iraqi government a chance to move toward reconciliation¹. The general and the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, delivered their highly-anticipated reports to the U.S. congress Monday, and VOA's Al Pessin reports.

U.S. Gen. David Petraeus testifies on the situation in Iraq before the House Armed Services Committee  in Washington, 10 Sep 2007

It was a moment of high drama in a packed congressional hearing room.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the hearing will come to order," said Congressman² Ike Skelton.

The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Ike Skelton, called to order a rare joint³ hearing with the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The more than 100 members of the two committees, and a worldwide television audience, heard General Petraeus say the surge of U.S. forces is achieving its goal of improving security in Iraq, and he made this declaration.

"I have recommended a drawdown of the surge forces from Iraq," said General Petraeus. "In fact, later this month, the marine⁴ expeditionary unit deployed⁵ as part of the surge will depart Iraq. Beyond that, if my recommendations are approved, that unit's departure will be followed by the withdrawal⁶ of a brigade combat team without replacement⁷ in early December and the further redeployment without replacement of four other brigade combat teams and the two surge marine battalions⁸ in the first seven months of 2008."

That means the general wants to keep most of the additional 30,000 U.S. troops involved in the 'surge,' until their tours of duty expire, starting in April of next year. But he does not think they will have to be replaced. General Petraeus also said he expects to recommend further troop cuts to follow, but he said it is too early to do that now. He wants to make a further report next March.

The general said there has been a significant decrease in violence in Iraq since the surge began in January, but he acknowledged progress is slow and there is still too much violence. He also said Iraqi security forces are improving, but slowly, and he cautioned against "rushing to failure" by putting too much responsibility on the Iraqis before they are ready.

U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker testifies before before the House Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on the situation of Iraq, 10 Sep 2007

Sitting alongside him, Ambassador Crocker also lamented⁹ slow progress toward Iraqi political reconciliation, calling it "frustrating¹⁰" for all concerned. But he also noted¹¹ the agreement by top Iraqi leaders last month to work together on key issues, and he, too, called for a continuation of U.S. military and diplomatic efforts in Iraq.

"I cannot guarantee success in Iraq," said Ambassador Crocker. "I do believe, as I have described, that it is attainable¹². I am certain that abandoning, or drastically curtailing¹³, our efforts will bring failure. And the consequences of such a failure must be clearly understood by us all."

Ambassador Crocker said those consequences would include "massive human suffering" and possibly a regional conflict in which Iran would emerge as a winner.

General Petraeus criticized Iran and Syria for contributing to the ongoing¹⁴ violence in Iraq. And he also warned against the consequences of drawing down the U.S. troop presence in Iraq too quickly.

"Like Ambassador Crocker, I believe Iraq's problems will require a long-term effort," he said. "There are no easy answers or quick solutions. And although we both believe this effort can succeed, it will take time. Our assessments¹⁵ underscore, in fact, the importance of recognizing that a premature¹⁶ drawdown of our forces would likely have devastating¹⁷ consequences."

Both officials also noted the turnaround in al-Anbar Province and some other areas, where local leaders have switched their allegiance in recent months from al-Qaida to the Iraqi government and the coalition¹⁸.

General Petraeus said he presented his recommendations on the pace of U.S. troop reductions in Iraq to his superiors two weeks ago, but that his testimony¹⁹ Monday was not cleared, or even seen, by Pentagon or White House officials before he gave it.

President Bush, who made a brief visit to Iraq a week ago, is expected to address the national later this week to announce his decisions on troop levels and other aspects of U.S. policy toward Iraq in the coming months.

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

5 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。

6 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。

7 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

8 battalions   

n.（陆军的）一营（大约有一千兵士）( battalion的名词复数 )；协同作战的部队；军队；（组织在一起工作的）队伍

参考例句：

• God is always on the side of the strongest battalions. 上帝总是帮助强者。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Two battalions were disposed for an attack on the air base. 配置两个营的兵力进攻空军基地。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 lamented   

adj.被哀悼的，令人遗憾的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• her late lamented husband 她那令人怀念的已故的丈夫
• We lamented over our bad luck. 我们为自己的不幸而悲伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 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。

12 attainable   

a.可达到的，可获得的

参考例句：

• They set the limits of performance attainable. 它们确定着可达到的运行限度。
• If objectives are to be meaningful to people, they must be clear, attainable, actionable, and verifiable. 如果目标对人们是具有意义的，则目标必须是清晰的，能达到的，可以行动的，以及可供检验的。

13 curtailing   

v.截断，缩短( curtail的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They will be curtailing the discussions at two thirty. 他们将把讨论缩短至两点半。 来自互联网
• Individually, banks are acting rationally by retaining their capital and curtailing lending. 此外，银行们正在合理地保留其资本和减少贷款。 来自互联网

14 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

15 assessments   

n.评估( assessment的名词复数 )；评价；（应偿付金额的）估定；（为征税对财产所作的）估价

参考例句：

• He was shrewd in his personal assessments. 他总能对人作出精明的评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Surveys show about two-thirds use such assessments, while half employ personality tests. 调查表明，约有三分之二的公司采用了这种测评；而一半的公司则采用工作人员个人品质测试。 来自百科语句

16 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

17 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

18 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。

19 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。