VOA慢速英语:US Senate Committee Approves Use of Force in Syria

This week, a United States Senate committee voted in support of a possible American military strike against Syria. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a proposed resolution by a vote of 10 to seven. The resolution gives President Barack Obama power to take military action against Syria because the United States says the Syrian government used chemical weapons against civilians. The resolution calls for limited U.S. action lasting no more than 90 days. It does not permit the use of American ground troops in Syria.
本周，美国参议院委员会投票支持美国对叙利亚进行可能的军事打击。美国参议院外交关系委员会以10比7的票数批准了该拟议的决议。该决议赋予了奥巴马总统对叙利亚采取军事行动的权力，因为美国称叙利亚政府对平民使用化学武器。该决议要求美国采取为期不超过90天的有限行动，不允许美国在叙利亚使用面部队。

The resolution now goes to the full Senate. The House of Representatives must also vote on it.
该决议现在提交到了参议院。众议院也需要投票。

The Senate committee vote came less than a week after United Nations chemical weapons inspectors left Syria. U.N. officials sent the inspection team to investigate an attack that took place 10 days earlier. American officials say more than 1,400 people were killed in the attack, near Damascus.
该参议院委员会表决是在联合国化学武器核查人员离开叙利亚后不到一个星期的时间内。联合国官员派出核查小组调查十天前发生的袭击事件。美国官员称，在大马士革附近发生的袭击造成了1400多人死亡。

The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad denies using chemical weapons. It says Syrian rebels used them against government soldiers.
叙利亚总统巴沙尔•阿萨德政府否认使用化学武器。它称是叙利亚反政府武装对政府军士兵使用的。

Last Saturday, President Obama spoke to Americans and the world about Syria. He said U.S. intelligence is clear that “well over 1,000 people” were killed -- gassed to death by their own government. He denounced what he called the worst chemical weapons attack of the 21st century.
上周六，奥巴马总统向美国和世界谈论叙利亚。他说，美国情报部门明确指出“远远超过1000人被打死”--他们是被政府释放的毒气毒死的。他谴责了这次他所谓的21世纪最严重的化学武器袭击。

President Obama and some leading lawmakers have expressed strong support for military strikes against Syria. But a recent study found that 59 percent of Americans questioned oppose the idea.
奥巴马总统和一些主要国会议员强烈支持对叙利亚的军事打击。但最近的一项研究发现，59%被调查的美国人反对该想法。

Christopher Hill is a former U.S. ambassador to Iraq and a former special representative to Kosovo. He supports limited military action against Syria. He says the world needs to send a strong signal that anyone who uses chemical weapons will be punished.
Christopher Hill是美国前驻伊拉克大使和前任科索沃特别代表。他支持对叙利亚采取有限的军事行动。他说，世界需要发出一个强烈信号，即无论谁使用化学武器都要受到惩罚。

“But the problem is we don’t have an overall way forward on Syria. People are out there fighting in Syria, either on Assad’s forces or against Assad, because they have no idea what the future of the country is going to hold and therefore they feel that in order to safeguard their future, they need to fight.”
“但问题是我们在叙利亚问题上没有全面解决途径。那里的人们在叙利亚奋战，不论是阿萨德还是反对阿萨德的军队。因为他们不知道国家的未来如何，因此他们觉得，为了保障他们的未来，他们需要打仗。”

Retired U.S. Marine Corps General Anthony Zinni agrees with Mr. Hill. General Zinni headed “Operation Desert Fox,” a series of strikes against Iraq in 1998. He says American military action will strengthen rebel forces allied with al-Qaida.
美国退役海军陆战队将军Anthony Zinni同意Hill先生的意见。Zinni将军领导了1998年的“沙漠之狐行动”， 打击伊拉克的一系列战争。他说，美国的军事行动将加强与“基地”组织结盟的叛军的力量。

“Any strikes on Assad weaken him. When you weaken him, you strengthen the opposition. Those extremists are also part of the opposition.”
“任何对阿萨德的打击都会削弱他。而当你削弱他，就加强了反对派。那些极端分子也是反对派的一部分。”

Some experts say a U.S. military strike might incite the Shi’ite militant group Hezbollah to attack Western targets or Israel. Others say the Syrian military might use more chemical weapons against rebels and civilians.
一些专家说，美国的军事打击可能会煽动什叶派激进组织真主党攻击西方目标或以色列。其他人则说，叙利亚军队可能会使用化学武器对付反政府武装和平民。

General Zinni says the situation is like a theatrical production.
Zinni将军说现在的情况就像是一出戏剧作品。
“Once Assad goes -- when, and if -- this could even be a greater mess than it is now. I mean, this civil war isn’t over because it will have an ‘Act Two’ to it.”
“一旦阿萨德下台，甚至可能会产生比现在更大混乱。我的意思是说，这场内战还没有结束，因为还有第二幕。”

The former general says that “act” could see Syrian opposition groups fighting each other after President Assad is gone.
这位前将军说第二幕可以看作是叙利亚反对派之间在阿萨德倒台后互相争斗。