Bush Administration Accused of Ignoring Corruption in Iraq
美国务院被指责打击伊腐败力度小

Two former U.S. State Department officials say the Bush administration has done little to fight corruption in Iraq. In testimony to a congressional panel Monday, they said administration policy has allowed corruption to fester - an accusation the State Department vehemently denies.

两名前美国国务院的官员说，布什政府在伊拉克打击腐败的力度甚微 。星期一在国会一个小组委员会的听证会上，这两名前官员表示，布什政府的政策允许腐败滋生。美国国务院强烈地否认了这种指责。

Arthur Brennan briefly served as director of the State Department's Office of Accountability and Transparency in Baghdad last year.

阿瑟.布伦南去年曾一度担任国务院驻巴格达的问责与透明办公室主任。

In testimony before a Democratic Policy Committee hearing, which no Republicans attended, Brennan accused the Bush administration of thwarting the efforts of his office to probe and fight corruption in Iraq. He said the administration did not aggressively pursue corruption out of concern that that could undermine its relationship with the Iraqi government.

在国会民主党政策小组委员会的听证会上，布伦南批评布什政府阻止他所领导的办公室，对在伊拉克出现的腐败现象进行调查和打击。他说，布什政府没有大力打击腐败是出于这样做可能会破坏和伊拉克政府关系的考虑。

"The Department of State's actual policy not only contradicted the anti-corruption mission, but indirectly contributed to and has allowed corruption to fester at the highest levels of the Iraqi government," he said.

布伦南在这次没有共和党人参加的听证会上说：“国务院的实际政策不仅同反腐败任务相抵触，而且间接地促成并允许腐败在伊拉克政府的最高层滋生。”

State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey told VOA it is not true that the department condones corruption in Iraq.

国务院副发言人汤姆.凯西说，国务院在伊拉克宽恕腐败的说法是不对的。

In an exchange with Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Brennan said U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, has avoided addressing the problem.

在接受来自密苏里州的民主党参议员克莱尔.麦克卡斯基尔的问讯中，布伦南说，美国驻伊拉克大使瑞安.克罗克一直回避涉及这个问题。

MCASKILL: "It is your testimony today that Ambassador Crocker knows the level of corruption in the Iraqi government and has failed to be honest with the American people about it?"

麦克卡斯基尔问：“今天你再次作证是不是表明克罗克大使了解伊拉克政府腐败的程度但是没有诚实地对美国人民反映呢？”

BRENNAN: "If he does not know than he is negligent. If he does know, then he is intentionally misleading Congress and the American public."

布伦南说：“如果他不了解的话那就是他失职了。如果他了解，那就是有意误导国会和美国公众 。”

Brennan said corruption has cost Iraq and U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars, and warned that some of the money could be funding insurgents.

布伦南说，腐败耗废了伊拉克和美国纳税人的数十亿美元，并警告说，有些钱还可能被用于资助反叛份子。

James Mattil, who served as chief of staff in the Office of Accountability and Transparency from October 2006 to October 2007, agreed that the Bush administration had not done enough to press the Iraqi government to fight corruption. "It seems reasonable to conclude that the reasons are either gross incompetence, willful negligence or political intent on the part of the Bush administration and more specifically, the State Department," he said.

詹姆斯.马蒂尔从2006年10月到2007年10月担任问责与透明办公室的幕僚长，他对布什政府没有尽力敦促伊拉克政府打击腐败的说法表示赞同。 他说：“我们有理由作出结论，那就是布什政府，更确切地说是国务院，这样做或者是由于严重的无能，故意渎职，或者是出于政治上的意愿。”

Mattil said the Office of Accountability and Transparency was dismantled last December.

马蒂尔说，问责与透明办公室去年12月解散了。

Senator Byron Dorgan, a North Dakota Democrat and chairman of the committee, says he plans to send a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice seeking a response to Monday's testimony.

来自北达科他州的民主党参议员拜伦.多尔根是国会民主党政策小组委员会主席。他表示，他计划给国务卿赖斯写信，就星期一的证词请赖斯作出答复。

State Department's Casey, who spoke to VOA on the phone, said Brennan and Mattil are entitled to their opinions, but it is not true that Washington has ignored the issue of corruption in Iraq. He said the United States takes the issue very seriously, and has worked with the Iraqis for a very long time to combat it.

国务院副发言人凯西通过电话对美国之音说，布伦南和马蒂尔有权发表意见，但是说华盛顿在伊拉克腐败问题上渎职那不是事实。他说，美国对这个问题非常认真，很长时间以来都在和伊拉克政府一道共同打击腐败。