VOA标准英语2008年-On Mideast Tour, Bush Hails Legislative Action

By Paula Wolfson
Manama, Bahrain
12 January 2008

Iraq's Parliament has passed a law that removes restrictions¹ that prevented many members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party from serving in government posts. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports President Bush quickly hailed the move as an important step.

The news from Baghdad reached President Bush in the midst of a Middle East tour, and just hours after he visited a U.S. army base in Kuwait that acts as a staging ground and support center for American forces in Iraq.

By the time he reached Bahrain and sat down for talks with King Hamad Bin² Isa Al-Khalifa, Mr. Bush was jubilant - hailing the achievement of a key U.S. benchmark. "I'm pleased to inform you, your majesty³, that the Iraqi Council of Representatives passed a de-Baathification law today," he said.

The Bush administration has been pushing the Iraqis for months to pass a law that would remove restrictions on members of the Baath Party, allowing some to return to government jobs they held under Saddam Hussein.

For Mr. Bush, passage was a personal victory. "It's an important step toward reconciliation⁴. It's an important sign that the leaders in that country must work together to meet the aspirations⁵ of the Iraqi people," he said.

The restrictions on Baathists were put in place after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

But over time, the White House realized they were exacerbating⁶ tensions between Iraq's majority Shi'ites and once-dominant Sunnis. As a result, Washington urged Shi'ite leaders in parliament to lift the restrictions and make a gesture that could bring more Sunnis into the political process.

The new law will enable thousands of former Baath party members to apply for reinstatement in the civil service and military. Many more reforms are still awaiting action in the Iraqi legislature, including a measure on the distribution of oil revenue.

Iraq is one of many issues the president is discussing here in Bahrain - the home of the U.S. fifth fleet. Mr. Bush is the first sitting American president to visit Bahrain, and he received a warm and, some would say, unusual welcome.

After the speeches and military pageantry of the official welcoming ceremony, a troupe⁷ of dancers entered the stone and tile courtyard in front of the presidential palace.

They swayed as they sang, carrying swords and rifles and performing a traditional dance of tribesman going off to war or returning home. It was a reminder⁸ of the bloodshed the region has known for centuries and the underlying⁹ desire of warriors¹⁰ to put down their weapons and live in peace.

1 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

2 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

3 majesty   

n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权

参考例句：

• The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。
• Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下，您必须赶快做出决定！

4 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。

5 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

6 exacerbating   

v.使恶化，使加重( exacerbate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• This pedagogical understretch is exacerbating social inequalities. 这种教学张力不足加重了社会不平等。 来自互联网
• High fertilizer prices are exacerbating the problem. 高涨的肥料价格更加加剧了问题的恶化。 来自互联网

7 troupe   

n.剧团，戏班；杂技团；马戏团

参考例句：

• The art troupe is always on the move in frontier guards.文工团常年在边防部队流动。
• The troupe produced a new play last night.剧团昨晚上演了一部新剧。

8 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

9 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

10 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。