VOA标准英语2014--美国:攻击伊斯兰国时不会牵涉叙利亚政府军

 

US: Syrian Government Forces Will Not Be Part of Islamic State Fight 美国:攻击伊斯兰国时不会牵涉叙利亚政府军

STATE DEPARTMENT— 

Syria and Russia say the international coalition¹ against the Islamic State would be more effective if it included Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. But, the Obama administration is determined² to keep its fight against Damascus separate from the battle against the Islamic State.

In airstrikes against Islamic State militants³ in Syria, U.S. officials say they are giving Damascus no advance notice of timing⁴ or targets while continuing to warn Syrian forces not to engage coalition aircraft.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem says it would be easier to stop the Islamic State -- which is also known as ISIS or ISIL -- if Syria itself were invited to join the coalition.

"Is it not due time, ladies and gentlemen, for all of us to stand as one in the face of this serious menace of terrorist ideology⁵ worldwide?  Has not the moment of truth arrived for us all to admit that ISIS, al-Nusrah Front and the rest of al-Qaeda affiliations⁶ will not be limited within the borders of Syria and Iraq but will spread to every spot it can reach, starting with Europe and America,” he said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says keeping Syria out of the coalition is both illegal and counterproductive.

 “Excluding Syrian authorities from the effort that has taken place on their territory not only goes against international law but undermines the efficiency of the effort,” he said.

 So why not include Bashar al-Assad in the fight against the Islamic State? 

Because the Syrian president himself is part of the problem, says State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

“The Assad regime continues to indiscriminately use barrel bombs and bombard their own people," she said. "There are reports of women and children waiting in line for bread and they’re striking areas where they are standing⁷ around.  So this is -- there’s a distinct difference between our approach to taking on ISIL and their military efforts.”

There are also coalition allies such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia who are determined to bring down the government in Damascus and worry that action against the Islamic State takes some pressure off Assad forces.

But the longer airstrikes continue, the greater the likelihood of some on-the-ground coordination⁸ with Syria’s government, says American University professor Akbar Ahmed.

"The ball, then, rests with President [Barack] Obama. He's got to make the decision. Is he prepared to talk to Assad or have some dealings with Assad in order to have a joint⁹ front against the Islamic State? Again, the question is to weigh the two evils and decide on one," he said.

A decision that Ahmed believes ultimately favors Assad.

"I think it will be a travesty¹⁰.  But in the world of realpolitik, in the world of this murky¹¹ fog that the Middle East is now enveloped¹² in, I think this may be something that we will be seeing," he said.

For now, coalition partners say they need not coordinate¹³ with Syrian government forces because the territory they are attacking, including areas along the Turkish border, are not controlled by Damascus.

1 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。

2 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

3 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

4 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

5 ideology   

n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识

参考例句：

• The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。
• The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。

6 affiliations   

n.联系( affiliation的名词复数 )；附属机构；亲和性；接纳

参考例句：

• She had affiliations of her own in every capital. 她原以为自己在欧洲各国首府都有熟人。 来自辞典例句
• The society has many affiliations throughout the country. 这个社团在全国有很多关系。 来自辞典例句

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

9 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。

10 travesty   

n.歪曲，嘲弄，滑稽化

参考例句：

• The trial was a travesty of justice.这次审判嘲弄了法律的公正性。
• The play was,in their view,a travesty of the truth.这个剧本在他们看来是对事实的歪曲。

11 murky   

adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗

参考例句：

• She threw it into the river's murky depths.她把它扔进了混浊的河水深处。
• She had a decidedly murky past.她的历史背景令人捉摸不透。

12 enveloped   

v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was enveloped in a huge white towel. 她裹在一条白色大毛巾里。
• Smoke from the burning house enveloped the whole street. 燃烧着的房子冒出的浓烟笼罩了整条街。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。