-
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Washington
30 December 2007
Pakistan's military says, despite massive chaos1 and turmoil2 in the aftermath of the assassination3 of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the country's nuclear weapons are safe and secure. VOA's Michael Bowman reports from Washington.
The assassination of Ms. Bhutto sparked massive protests in Pakistan, and renewed questions as to whether the country's halting movement toward democracy will endure.
Pakistani military officials insist that one thing Pakistanis and the international community need not worry about, however, is the country's nuclear stockpile. An army spokesman, Wahid Arshad, spoke4 on CNN's Late Edition program.
"Pakistan's nuclear assets are very secure," said Wahid Arshad. "We have a very robust5 command and control system. Our security measures are among the best in the world. So, I think all these fears are basically unfounded and nonsense [as far as] reports about nuclear assets falling into [the hands of] Islamic radicals6."
Yet concerns about Pakistan's nuclear weapons remain, according to former U.S. Senator William Cohen, who served as defense7 secretary in the late 1990s, when Pakistan conducted its first test of an atomic bomb. Cohen also spoke on Late Edition.
"I hope it is 100 percent secure," said William Cohen. "We do not know that. It is always an area of concern whenever you have any country that has nuclear weapons, and you have the kind of chaotic8 situation you have now in Pakistan."
Another former U.S. senator, Sam Nunn, says those concerns will be greatly alleviated9 if and when political unrest subsides10 in Pakistan. Nunn says, for that to occur, President Pervez Musharraf will have to embrace democracy, and the United States and the international community will have to take steps to ensure that all Pakistani political factions11 have confidence in the country's electoral process.
"He [Musharraf] has a real problem of legitimacy," said Sam Nunn. "And, I think we ought to make sure that we are on the side of all the parties coming together to set the election date, and not really indicate we are for one candidate or another. We ought to be neutral in this process. Our interest is in making sure that some legitimate12 government emerges that can bring about stability in that crucial nation."
The assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister and opposition13 leader Benazir Bhutto last week threw the country into political turmoil ahead of elections scheduled for January 8.
The unrest in Pakistan has become an issue among U.S. presidential contenders, many of whom seem eager to demonstrate their understanding of foreign affairs. On the Democratic Party side, New York Senator Hillary Clinton is calling for an international investigation14 of the killing15 of Ms. Bhutto, while Illinois Senator Barack Obama says elections in Pakistan may have to be postponed16 but should not be canceled. Among Republicans, Arizona Senator John McCain says Pakistan and its president remain critical U.S. allies in the war on terror, while former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee says he would like Pakistan to give the United States a freer hand in pursuing terrorists on Pakistani territory.
1 chaos | |
n.混乱,无秩序 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2 turmoil | |
n.骚乱,混乱,动乱 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3 assassination | |
n.暗杀;暗杀事件 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4 spoke | |
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5 robust | |
adj.强壮的,强健的,粗野的,需要体力的,浓的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6 radicals | |
n.激进分子( radical的名词复数 );根基;基本原理;[数学]根数 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7 defense | |
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8 chaotic | |
adj.混沌的,一片混乱的,一团糟的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9 alleviated | |
减轻,缓解,缓和( alleviate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10 subsides | |
v.(土地)下陷(因在地下采矿)( subside的第三人称单数 );减弱;下降至较低或正常水平;一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
11 factions | |
组织中的小派别,派系( faction的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
12 legitimate | |
adj.合法的,合理的,合乎逻辑的;v.使合法 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
13 opposition | |
n.反对,敌对 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
14 investigation | |
n.调查,调查研究 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
15 killing | |
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
16 postponed | |
vt.& vi.延期,缓办,(使)延迟vt.把…放在次要地位;[语]把…放在后面(或句尾)vi.(疟疾等)延缓发作(或复发) | |
参考例句: |
|
|