VOA双语新闻：奥巴马宣布18个月内从伊撤军

　　President Barack Obama says the United States will withdraw most of its combat troops from Iraq in the next 18 months. Roughly one-third of the troops would stay through 2011 to provide security and training.

奥巴马总统说，美国将在今后18个月里把大部分本国驻伊战斗部队撤离伊拉克。大约三分之一的部队会留驻伊拉克进行安全及训练工作直到2011年。

Almost six years after the war in Iraq began, President Obama has assigned a date to the end of the war. "Let me say this as plainly as I can: By August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end," he said.

在伊拉克战争开始几乎六年之后，奥巴马总统才定下了这个战争结束的日期。他说：“让我尽可能清楚地说明这一点：到2010年8月31号，我们将结束在伊拉克的战斗使命。”

The president made his announcement Friday at Camp Lejeune, a military base in North Carolina. Thousands of Marines there have been sent to Iraq, and thousands more are getting ready to be deployed 1 to Afghanistan.

奥巴马总统是星期五在北卡罗来纳州的军事基地勒琼作出以上宣告的。那里已有数以千计的海军陆战队人员被派往伊拉克，而且还有数以千计的人员准备部署到阿富汗。

The 18-month timetable is slower than the 16-month withdrawal 2 Mr. Obama had promised voters last year, but still accelerates the U.S. exit.

这个18个月的时间表比奥巴马去年向选民承诺的16个月的撤离时间来得长，但是仍然加快了美军撤离的速度。

The president's schedule for leaving Iraq was the one recommended by Defense 3 Secretary Robert Gates and other top military advisers 4.

奥巴马总统的伊拉克撤军时间是由国防部长盖茨等高级军事顾问提议的。

Mr. Obama plans to pull out roughly two-thirds of the 142,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. He says those who remain will train Iraqi security forces, protect civilians 5 and fight terrorism. "After we remove our combat brigades, our mission will change from combat to supporting the Iraqi government and its security forces as they take the absolute lead in securing their country," he said.

奥巴马计划让14万2千驻伊美军的约三分之二撤离伊拉克。他说，那些留驻人员将训练伊拉克的安全部队、保护平民，并打击恐怖主义。他说：“在我们撤出我们的战斗旅队之后，我们的使命将从战斗转向支持伊拉克政府及其安全部队，与此同时，他们将在维持国家治安方面起绝对主导作用。”

The last U.S. troops are to leave Iraq by the end of 2011, under an agreement between the two countries.

根据两国间的协议，最后一批美军要在2011年年底撤离伊拉克。

Mr. Obama said another part of his strategy is for the U.S. to work with all the nations of the Middle East, including Iran and Syria. "Every nation and every group must know-whether you wish America good or ill-that the end of the war in Iraq will enable a new era of American leadership and engagement in the Middle East," he said.

奥巴马说，他的策略的另一方面是美国与包括伊朗和叙利亚在内的所有中东国家协作。他说：“所有的国家、所有的集团都必须明确，不论你们对美国怀有善意还是恶意，但是伊拉克战争的结束将开创美国在中东地区起主导和参与作用的新时代。”

Republican Senator John McCain, who sharply criticized Mr. Obama's Iraq withdrawal plan during last year's campaign, now says he is cautiously optimistic that the plan will work. "The greatest risk will be present ahead of the December elections, and conditions could worsen before or even after they take place. With these factors in mind, I believe the president's withdrawal is a reasonable one," he said.

曾在去年竞选时尖锐批评奥巴马的伊拉克撤军计划的共和党人参议员麦凯恩如今对这一计划能否奏效表示审慎的乐观。他说：“最大的危险存在于12月伊拉克选举前，情况可能会在选举前、甚至会在选举后变得更为糟糕。我相信把那些因素考虑在内，总统的撤军计划是合理的。”

In his speech at Camp Lejeune, President Obama also confirmed that Christopher Hill will be the new U.S. ambassador to Iraq. Hill was the Bush administration's lead negotiator with North Korea.

奥巴马总统在勒琼军事基地发表的讲话中还确认，克里斯托佛.希尔将出任美国驻伊拉克新大使。希尔是布什总统与北韩会谈的首席谈判人员。