VOA常速英语2008年-US Defense Secretary Urges NATO to Send More Tr

By Al Pessin
Vilnius
07 February 2008

U.S. Defense¹ Secretary Robert Gates did as he promised at a NATO meeting in Lithuania Thursday, he again urged other allies to provide more troops for Afghanistan.  But he also says he does not believe there is a crisis in the country, and he understands the political difficulties some allies face.  VOA's Al Pessin reports from Vilnius.

Secretary Gates had said he would "nag²" NATO allies again to send more troops to Afghanistan, and he says that is what he did on the first of two days of meetings here.

"I called on the other allies to make further commitments to the mission, to do what they could to meet unmet needs as articulated by the commanders out there, and to consider other, more creative, ways that they may be able to contribute," he said.

Many European governments stress the need for more efforts on reconstruction³ and economic development in Afghanistan.  But while Secretary Gates agrees with that, he made clear that the United States believes more troops are needed, too, and with fewer restrictions⁴ imposed by their home governments.

"What we are obviously interested in is more who will have no caveats⁵ on their forces, and those who are willing to engage in the fight itself," he added.

After a NATO meeting last October, Secretary Gates sharply criticized some allies for not fulfilling their commitments and for putting the alliance's Afghanistan mission at what he called "real risk."  Last month, he announced the deployment⁶ of 3,200 U.S. Marines, most of them to restive⁷ southern Afghanistan, to ensure gains made against the Taliban are not lost.

On Wednesday, Secretary Gates said NATO could evolve into a two-tier alliance, with fighters and non-fighters, but the secretary said he was encouraged after Thursday's meetings.

"I do not think that there is a crisis," he explained.  "I do not think that there is a risk of failure.  My view is that it represents potentially the opportunity to make further progress faster in Afghanistan if we had more forces there."

Secretary Gates says he will not send more Marines when this deployment ends in November, and he wants other NATO members to provide replacement⁸ forces.  In addition, Canada has said it will withdraw from southern Afghanistan next year if it does not get more help from the allies. 

Secretary Gates says he understands the political difficulties and public opposition⁹ some European governments face when they consider sending more troops to Afghanistan, but he says more must be done, perhaps by sending equipment and paying costs.

A few countries indicated they might send a few more troops to Afghanistan, but no major announcements are expected until the NATO summit in April in Romania.

At a separate news conference, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop¹⁰ Scheffer noted¹¹ that NATO has increased its troop presence in Afghanistan by more than 8,000 in the past year, and he disputed claims that the mission is close to failing.

Scheffer also had strong words for the government of Afghanistan, saying it cannot rely on NATO to do everything for the country.

"We do not own it," he said.  "The Afghan people own their own nation.  And it is up to the Afghan government to be responsible for the fight against corruption¹², to play their role in the fight against narcotics¹³ to see that law and order is there in the full sense of the word.  That is their responsibility."

Scheffer said he is "cautiously optimistic" that NATO will succeed in Afghanistan, but he also said it will take patience and a long-term commitment.  He is working on a strategy document to be approved at the summit that U.S. officials say is designed in part to convince Europeans that creating a stable Afghanistan is important for their security, so they will support their governments sending more troops

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 nag   

v.(对…)不停地唠叨；n.爱唠叨的人

参考例句：

• Nobody likes to work with a nag.谁也不愿与好唠叨的人一起共事。
• Don't nag me like an old woman.别像个老太婆似的唠唠叨叨烦我。

3 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。

4 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

5 caveats   

警告

参考例句：

• I would offer a caveat for those who want to join me in the dual calling. 为防止发生误解，我想对那些想要步我后尘的人提出警告。 来自辞典例句
• As I have written before, that's quite a caveat. 正如我以前所写，那确实是个警告。 来自互联网

6 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

7 restive   

adj.不安宁的，不安静的

参考例句：

• The government has done nothing to ease restrictions and manufacturers are growing restive.政府未采取任何措施放松出口限制,因此国内制造商变得焦虑不安。
• The audience grew restive.观众变得不耐烦了。

8 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。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 hoop   

n.（篮球）篮圈，篮

参考例句：

• The child was rolling a hoop.那个孩子在滚铁环。
• The wooden tub is fitted with the iron hoop.木盆都用铁箍箍紧。

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 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。

13 narcotics   

n.麻醉药( narcotic的名词复数 )；毒品；毒

参考例句：

• The use of narcotics by teenagers is a problem in many countries. 青少年服用麻醉药在许多国家中都是一个问题。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Police shook down the club, looking for narcotics. 警方彻底搜查了这个俱乐部，寻找麻醉品。 来自《简明英汉词典》