In testimony to a congressional committee, a United Nations official has expressed renewed concern about conditions facing Iraqi refugees who have fled to neighboring countries.

聯(lián)合國一位官員在美國國會作證時再次對逃到鄰國的伊拉克人的處境表示擔憂。

Deputy United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Craig Johnstone, says the Iraq refugee situation remains the largest in the world.

聯(lián)合國難民事務副高級專員克雷格.約翰斯通說，伊拉克難民人數(shù)繼續(xù)是世界上最多的。

Four to five million Iraqis are estimated to have fled their country, many to Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, although Johnstone says exact figures are difficult.

他說，估計有400萬到500萬的伊拉克人逃離了伊拉克，許多人逃到了敘利亞、約旦和黎巴嫩，但很難掌握確切人數(shù)。

The U.N. official says there is now a somewhat improved asylum situation in neighboring countries, with diminished threats, at least for the time being, of forced return.

約翰斯通說，伊拉克鄰國的難民局勢現(xiàn)在有所改善，遣返的威脅至少目前已經(jīng)消失。

At the same time, Johnstone says Iraqis who have fled their country, many of them well-educated, face difficult and desperate circumstances as urban refugees.

他同時說，出逃的伊拉克人很多都受過良好教育，是城市難民，他們面臨艱難的絕境。

"If you can't have a job, if you have no money you will starve to death as a well-educated person just as fast as somebody that has no education, and I think sometimes that gets lost on us because when we talk to these people they are extraordinarily articulate, very capable, they would provide an asset to any society in which they found themselves and yet they are in absolutely dire circumstances. It really is an amazing situation," he said.

約翰斯通說：“(這些人)即使受過良好教育，但如果無法工作、沒錢，就會象沒有受過教育的人一樣面臨死亡。我們有時會忽略這點，因為當我們同在這些人交談時，會覺得他們特別會說話、很能干，到哪個社會都是財富，能夠立足。但是他們的境遇絕對悲慘。這很讓人吃驚。”

Forty seven percent of Iraqi refugees are women facing particularly difficult circumstances. Johnstone says women make up 20 percent of all heads of families, taking care of children because so many men have been killed in some way in conflict in Iraq.

47%的伊拉克難民是境遇尤其艱難的婦女。約翰斯通說，因為很多男人在伊拉克沖突中喪生，高達20%的家庭只剩下母親單獨照顧孩子。

Despite progress in negotiations with host governments that has allowed increasing numbers of refugee children to attend school, Johnstone points to a climate of fear among Iraqi parents that doing so will make them more vulnerable to forced return at some point.

The Bush administration has faced sharp criticism over the number of Iraqis approved for resettlement in the United States, with reports last month quoting State Department statistics that U.S. admissions had declined since last October.

布什政府因為批準接收伊拉克難民到美國定居的數(shù)量問題而受到強烈批評。1月有報導援引美國國務院的統(tǒng)計數(shù)字顯示，美國接收的伊拉克難民去年10月以來有所下降。

Johnstone, an American, hopes that will change, but he is skeptical. "One can afford to be skeptical looking at the slow start that they have. I do see that the Department of Homeland Security is far more mobilized today then it was two months ago on the issue," he said.

約翰斯通希望這會改變，但是他對此持懷疑態(tài)度。約翰斯通說：“當人們看到開始時進展緩慢，都會感到懷疑。我的確感到國土安全部今天在這個問題上要比以往更加積極。”

Subcommittee chairman, Democratic Congressman William Delahunt, is among lawmakers who say the United States bears a special obligation. "This sad reality imposes a moral responsibility on this administration and this Congress, for we cannot deny that the proximate cause of this human tragedy is the invasion of Iraq and its aftermath. It is believed by many that this is an American-made crisis," he said.

眾議院民主黨派籍分會主席德拉亨特是認為美國對此負有特別責任的議員之一。德拉亨特說：“本屆政府與國會對這個悲慘現(xiàn)實負有道義責任，因為我們無法否認，造成這個人類悲劇的可能原因是伊拉克戰(zhàn)爭和戰(zhàn)爭帶來的后果。很多人相信這是美國制造的危機。”

Republican Dana Rohrabacher disagrees, saying the problem is not America's alone but an international humanitarian issue.

共和黨議員羅爾巴赫爾不認為這是美國的錯。她說，這不僅僅是美國的問題，而是一個國際人道問題。

U.N. statistics show a decline in the number of Iraqis returning home in recent months.

聯(lián)合國統(tǒng)計數(shù)字顯示，返回家園的伊拉克難民近幾個月來有所減少。

International Organization for Migration (I.O.M.) official Rafiz Tschannen says that as internal displacement rates in Iraq have significantly declined, in part due to improved security, the rate of internal displacement now slightly exceeds the rate of return from other countries.

國際移民組織官員錢能說，隨著伊拉克安全局勢的改善，伊拉克國內的流離失所率顯著下降，現(xiàn)在僅稍高于從鄰國返回人員的比率。

Whether or not refugee flows out of Iraq pick up again, Tschannen says insufficient international financial contributions place Iraqis in jeopardy. "Funding remains insufficient. IOM has barely received 28 percent of its $85-million appeal for IDP [internally displaced people], with the U.S. too often being the largest donor, and the one whose support has been the most consistent. But lack of funding remains," he said.

那么伊拉克難民到底會不會再次逃離伊拉克呢？錢能說，國際財政援助不夠，讓伊拉克人境遇危險。錢能說：“財政援助還是不足。國際移民組織要求為國內流離失所人員提供8千5百萬美元援助，只有28%得到了滿足，而且美國是最大的援助國，美國也一直都支持援助計劃。但是現(xiàn)在還是缺錢。”

In his testimony Tuesday, Deputy U.N. refugee commissioner Johnstone said Jordan and Syria have shouldered most of the Iraqi refugee burden, and should be thanked for their generosity.

聯(lián)合國難民事務副高級專員約翰斯通在聽證會上說，約旦和敘利亞承擔了大部分伊拉克的難民負擔，應該感謝他們的慷慨。

But despite their support, he says the international community must take advantage of a window of opportunity to step up financial assistance, and take advantage of improved security in Iraq, to deal with the refugee situation, keeping in mind that new refugee flows are always a possibility.

但是他說，盡管有約旦和敘利亞的支持，但是國際社會還是必須利用目前的機會來增加財政援助，并利用伊拉克安全局勢的改善，來應對難民局勢。國際社會應該時刻不忘，永遠可能發(fā)生新的難民潮。