Bush: Iraq 'Is a Fight America Can and Must Win'
布什称伊战值得美国正在取得胜利
President Bush marked the fifth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq with a speech at the U.S. Defense Department. Mr. Bush took on his critics, saying the war is worth fighting and winning.
美国总统布什在五角大楼发表讲演,纪念伊拉克战争开战5周年。布什反驳了那些批评他的人,他说,伊拉克战争是值得的,并说美国正在取得胜利。
Looking at an audience of men and women in military uniform, the president said the past five years have seen moments of triumph and tragedy.
面对身穿军装的男女军人,布什总统说,过去5年大家既看到胜利,也看到悲剧。
"Five years into this battle, there is an understandable debate over whether the war was worth fighting, whether the fight is worth winning, and whether we can win it," Mr. Bush said. "The answers are clear to me. Removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right decision - and this is a fight America can and must win."
他说:“开战5年来,一直有人辩论是否值得打这场战争,是否值得打赢这场战争,是否能够打赢战争。这是可以理解的。对我来讲,答案是明确的。把萨达姆赶下台是正确的方向。美国能够、也必须打赢这场战争。”
He spoke of the thousands of Americans and Iraqis who have lost their lives in the war. But he said freedom is taking hold in Iraq, and the extremists and terrorists are losing ground.
布什谈到数以千计的美国人和伊拉克人在战争中丧生。但是他说,自由正在伊拉克扎根,极端分子和恐怖分子正在被击溃。
"In Iraq, we are witnessing the first large-scale Arab uprising against Osama bin Laden, his grim ideology, and his terror network," he said. "And the significance of this development cannot be overstated."
布什总统说:“在伊拉克,我们看到第一次出现反对本拉登、反对本拉登的阴暗的意识形态和他的恐怖网络的阿拉伯人大规模起义。无论怎样都不会过高强调这一发展的意义。”
The president focused largely on developments during the past year, and the impact the deployment of an extra 30,000 American troops has had on the conflict.
布什主要集中讨论过去一年的发展和美国在伊拉克额外部署3万名军人对当地冲突的影响。
He said before the so-called troop surge, the fight in Iraq was faltering, and extremists were succeeding in their efforts to plunge the country into chaos.
他说,在增兵之前,伊拉克的战斗停滞不前,极端分子成功地使伊拉克陷入混乱。
"The surge has done more than turn the situation in Iraq around," Mr. Bush said. "It has opened the door to a major strategic victory in the broader war on terror. For the terrorists, Iraq was supposed to be a place where al-Qaida rallied Arab masses to drive America out. Instead, Iraq has become the place where Arabs joined with Americans to drive al-Qaida out."
他说:“增兵的作用不仅是扭转了伊拉克的局势。它还为更加广泛的反恐战争取得重大战略胜利打开了大门。对恐怖分子来说,伊拉克原来是基地组织集合阿拉伯群众驱赶美国人的地方。而现在,伊拉克已经成为阿拉伯人加入美国人驱赶基地组织的地方。”
President Bush said the challenge is to consolidate gains, stressing this is not the time to call for retreat. He acknowledged the costs of the war have been high, both in terms of lives and treasure. But he said the cost of walking away would be much worse.
布什总统说,目前的挑战是巩固成果。他强调现在还不是撤退的时候。他承认战争的代价很高,在生命和财产损失方面都是如此。但是他说,从伊拉克撤军的代价会更大。
"If we were to allow our enemies to prevail in Iraq, the violence that is now declining would accelerate and Iraq could descend into chaos," Mr. Bush said. "Al-Qaida would regain its lost sanctuaries and establish new ones - fomenting violence and terror that could spread beyond Iraq's borders, with serious consequences for the world's economy."
布什说:“如果我们允许敌人打赢伊拉克战争,那么现在正在下降的暴力会升级,伊拉克可能陷入混乱。基地组织将重新获得已经失去的庇护地,并且建立新的庇护地。他们引发的暴力和恐怖可能扩散到伊拉克的国境以外。那将对世界经济造成严重后果。”
The U.S. presence in Iraq has become a big issue in the American presidential campaign, with both the top Democratic Party contenders - Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton - calling for a withdrawal of U.S. troops.
美国在伊拉克驻军问题是美国总统选举竞选的重大议题。民主党两位最主要的竞选人,奥巴马参议员和克林顿参议员都敦促美军撤出伊拉克。
In his address at the Pentagon, President Bush made clear that he will not act hastily or under pressure to withdraw.
布什总统在五角大楼讲话时明确表示,他不会匆忙撤军,也不会在压力下撤军。
"Any further drawdown will be based on conditions on the ground and the recommendations of our commanders and they must not jeopardize the hard-fought gains our troops and civilians have made over the past year," Mr. Bush said.
他说,任何进一步撤军都将以当地的条件和指挥官的建议为依据,撤军决不能危及美国军队和伊拉克平民经过过去一年的艰苦斗争才得来的成果。
Next month, the top U.S. commander and diplomat in Iraq will come to Washington to present their latest assessments to the president. General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker will also report to members of Congress.
下个月,美国驻伊拉克最高指挥官和外交官将返回华盛顿向总统提交最新的评估报告。彼得雷乌斯将军和驻伊拉克大使克罗克还将向国会报告情况。