VOA常速英语2008年-Iraq Protests Turkish Military Incursion

By Daniel Schearf
Irbil
22 February 2008

Iraq's central and regional governments have protested the Turkish army's incursion into Iraq to attack Kurdish rebels.  Iraqi authorities say military action will not solve the Kurdish rebel problem and have called for diplomatic pressure on Ankara to withdraw its forces and use diplomacy¹ instead.  Daniel Schearf reports for VOA from Irbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan.

Iraq's Foreign Minister Friday summoned the Turkish ambassador to protest Ankara's military incursion into northern Iraq.

Turkish media reports tanks and hundreds of Turkish troops crossed into Iraqi Kurdistan late Thursday in an effort to sweep out rebels from the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK).

The action followed an intense bombardment by Turkish artillery² and warplanes on suspected PKK bases inside Iraq.

Falah Mustafa Bakir is head of foreign relations for the largely autonomous³ Kurdistan Regional Government.  He says the Turkish army has reached areas previously⁴ thought safe from the conflict and already destroyed two bridges important to villagers.

"We believe that it's the responsibility of the United States, of the federal Iraqi government, and the international community to put pressure on Turkey so that we find a different way of handling this problem," he said.  "We understand that this is a problem, but it cannot be solved through military operations."

In Washington, State Department officials called on Turkey to limit the scope of its ground incursion in northern Iraq and bring it to an early conclusion.  The United States considers the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) a terrorist organization, but wants the Ankara government to limit its latest military drive against the Kurdish group out of concern for the broader security situation in Iraq.

Turkey has been fighting a decades-long battle with Kurdish rebels in southeast Turkey who want to form an independent Kurdistan.  Tens of thousands have been killed in the fighting.

Turkey says the PKK has been using bases in Iraqi Kurdistan to launch attacks into Turkey and that the Iraqi authorities are not doing enough to stop them.

Bakir disagrees and says the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has taken a number of measures since last year to limit the movement of the PKK.

"We have tightened⁵ the control at the checkpoints, at the airports, at the hospitals, supply routes," he added.  "All of these measures have been taken by the KRG in order to show our goodwill⁶ to the Turkish side that we are not part of the problem and our people should not pay a price for a problem that they have nothing to do with, because the PKK is an internal Turkish issue."

Bakir says he cannot confirm claims by the PKK that they killed two Turkish soldiers and wounded eight more during the fighting.

The European Union has also urged Turkey to limit its military actions in Iraq.

1 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

2 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

3 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

4 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

6 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。