VOA标准英语2014--美国的欧洲盟国担心空袭叙利亚

 

America's European Allies Wary¹ About Airstrikes in Syria 美国的欧洲盟国担心空袭叙利亚

LONDON—

President Barack Obama’s announcement Wednesday of his strategy for defeating the Islamic State militant² group in Iraq and Syria is being supported by Western allies and some Middle Eastern governments.

Obama made clear that a key part of his strategy involves what he called a “broad coalition³ of partners.” That effort began at the NATO summit last week when 10 countries committed to working together to defeat the militants⁴ in Iraq and Syria.  

There will likely be more support among European governments and peoples for this Iraq campaign than there was for the last one, said retired⁵ British Brigadier Ben Barry, now at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

“I’m sure the meeting wouldn’t have taken place if the heads of government of those countries weren’t pretty confident that they were going to have political, public and media support for at least some limited action as part of this,” Barry said.

Public opinion polls reflect that sentiment, and France will host a meeting next week designed to further coordinate⁶ efforts and generate public support.

But there is a limit to how far Europeans will go, said Robin⁷ Simcox of the Henry Jackson Society.

“Where there’s probably less support is if ground troops were involved. But, unfortunately, it may be ground troops that are needed to ultimately defeat ISIS,” Simcox said.

Syrian airstrikes

In laying out his strategy on Wednesday, Obama said he had authorized⁸ U.S. airstrikes for the first time in Syria and more attacks in Iraq, in an escalation⁹ of the campaign against Islamic State militants, who have taken control of large areas of both countries.

Syria, and its ally Russia, said on Thursday that any foreign airstrikes against Islamist militants in Syria without a U.N. Security Council mandate¹⁰ would be an act of aggression¹¹, raising the possibility of a new confrontation¹² with the West in the coming weeks.

“Any action of any type without the approval of Syrian government is an aggression against Syria,” Ali Haidar, Minister of National Reconciliation¹³ Affairs, told reporters in Damascus on Thursday, after the United States said it was prepared to strike against Islamic State militants in the country.

Haidar added: “There must be cooperation with Syria and coordination¹⁴ with Syria and there must be a Syrian approval of any action whether it is military or not."

Foreign countries could use the Islamic State group simply as a pretext¹⁵ for attacking Syria, Haidar told reporters.

Security Council decision

In Russia, Alexander Lukashevich, a Foreign Ministry¹⁶ spokesman, said, “The U.S. president has spoken directly about the possibility of strikes by the U.S. armed forces against ISIL positions in Syria without the consent of the legitimate¹⁷ government.

“This step, in the absence of a U.N. Security Council decision, would be an act of aggression, a gross violation¹⁸ of international law," Lukashevich said.

Western states have ruled out working with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying he has indirectly¹⁹ helped the Islamic State group grow in order to weaken other opposition²⁰ groups.

Obama, who is due to host a leaders' security conference at the U.N. General Assembly in two weeks, made no mention of seeking an international mandate for action in Syria.

France, a key ally for the United States in the planned coalition, said on Wednesday it was ready to take part in airstrikes in Iraq, but said its involvement in any military action in Syria would need to have international law behind it.

Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the Iraqi government has asked for help internationally, but in Syria the legal basis would have to be established first.

French officials have said that would come either through a Security Council resolution or under Article 51 of the U.N. charter, allowing for protection of threatened populations.

“The Russians aren't beholden to Assad,” said a senior French diplomat²¹.

“It's in their interest as much as ours to fight terrorism so we can hopefully find some pragmatic and objective ways to resolve our differences and find a way to agree.”     

No, to airstrikes in Syria

On Thursday, British Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman said, in terms of air power, Britain has "not ruled anything out" regarding the coalition.

But speaking earlier Thursday in Berlin, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Britain's parliament last year decided²² against airstrikes in Syria, and would not be "revisiting" the issue.

Germany often shuns²³ taking part in combat operations and Frank-Walter Steinmeier said his country also wouldn't join in any airstrikes.

In addition to the current airstrikes and aid drops, Obama is sending 475 troops to Iraq to train and advise local forces, and help share intelligence, and several allies will sell Iraq military equipment.  

But the president wants more countries involved.

“American power can make a decisive difference, but we cannot do for Iraqis what they must do for themselves, nor can we take the place of Arab partners in securing their region,” Obama said.

In Middle East

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was in the Middle East Thursday, trying to line up such support, and Saudi Arabia has agreed to host a training facility.  

Simcox, of the Henry Jackson Society, said support from the region makes sense.

“This isn’t just an American problem,” Simcox said. “It’s one that threatens especially the Middle East. So you would hope that Saudi Arabia, you’d hope that UAE and Jordan and Turkey, would come in in support for the U.S. on this issue.”

But key Arab countries have differing views on how to fight the militants and on what should come next, said  Kathleen McInnis of London’s Chatham House.

“This isn’t just a question about defeating ISIS. It’s also a question about what does the Middle East look like in the future,” McInnis said. “And that’s where things are going to be much more tricky²⁴ from the coalition perspective.”

Obama said this will be a long effort, possibly years long, and such campaigns usually have setbacks, all of which will test his ability to keep the coalition he is building together, and to keep public opinion behind it.   

Respect sovereignty

Meanwhile, China has been asked to join the coalition against the militant group but hasn’t yet responded.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the world was facing a terror threat that was a "new challenge" to international cooperation, while cautioning that while the world should fight terror, the sovereignty of countries must be respected.

"China opposes all forms of terrorism, and upholds that the international community must jointly²⁵ cooperate to strike against terrorism, including supporting efforts by relevant countries to maintain domestic security and stability," Hua told a daily news briefing when asked about Obama's comments.

"At the same time, we also uphold that in the international fight against terrorism, international law should be respected and the sovereignty, independence and territorial²⁶ integrity of relevant nations should also be respected," she added.

China has repeatedly expressed concern about the upsurge in violence in Iraq and the march of Islamic State, but it has also opposed any outside military intervention²⁷ in Syria.

1 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

2 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

3 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。

4 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。

5 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

6 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。

7 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

8 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

9 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

10 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

11 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

12 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

13 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。

14 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。

15 pretext   

n.借口，托词

参考例句：

• He used his headache as a pretext for not going to school.他借口头疼而不去上学。
• He didn't attend that meeting under the pretext of sickness.他以生病为借口，没参加那个会议。

16 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

17 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

18 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

19 indirectly   

adv.间接地，不直接了当地

参考例句：

• I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
• They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人，他们进行了间接接触。

20 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。

21 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

22 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

23 shuns   

v.避开，回避，避免( shun的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• We must not reproach her, or she shuns us. 我们可不要责备她，否则她要躲避我们。 来自辞典例句
• Any of them shuns, impedes, or attempts at inspection. 一规避、妨碍或拒绝检查。 来自互联网

24 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

25 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

26 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

27 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。