Iraqi officials say much work is needed to secure and restore the port of Umm Qasr in the oil-rich province of Basra. They charge criminals and corrupt officials have been working together to siphon off wealth while terrorists are sabotaging reconstruction.

伊拉克官員說，需要經過大量的努力才能確保盛產石油的巴士拉省的烏姆蓋斯爾港口恢復安全，正常運作。他們指責罪犯分子和腐敗官員狼狽為奸，吸取民脂民膏。與此同時，恐怖分子又在破壞重建工程。

Iraq's government has held a conference in the southeast city of Basra Wednesday to discuss efforts at reconstructing the important port of Umm Qasr.

伊拉克政府星期三在這個巴士拉省最南端的城市舉行會議，討論重要港口烏姆蓋斯爾的重建工作。

Iraqi officials say there are about 80 shipwrecks littering the coastal area and blocking shipping lanes that need to be removed. They say the port also needs to be dredged so larger ships can get closer for loading and unloading. They also want to almost double the tonnage of ships the port currently handles.

伊拉克官員說，在沿海一帶有大約80艘堵塞航道的沉船，必須予以清除。此外，為了讓大型船只停靠還得挖掘疏通這個港口。他們還希望把這個港口目前的船只吞吐量噸位提高一倍。

Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh said some improvements were being made, but criminal gangs and corrupt officials were colluding together, slowing their efforts.

伊拉克副總理薩勒赫說，某些工作已經開始著手進行，但是犯罪團伙和腐敗官員相互勾結，阻礙了他們的努力。

Salah says gangs are stealing everything good in the area. He says all the government agencies need to work together to stop these bandits that corrupt the country's treasures and prevent the distribution of wealth for all Iraqis.

他說，犯罪團伙盜竊一切值錢的東西。他說，所有的政府機構需要通力協作，制止這些匪徒敗壞國家財產，并且防止他們竊取屬于全體伊拉克人民的財富。

The British troops bombed Umm Qasr during the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq and took over security. Reconstruction efforts started almost immediately, but sabotage has slowed the work.

英國部隊2003年在美國主導的出兵伊拉克行動中轟炸了烏姆蓋斯爾港，事后接手了幾乎是立即開始的安全重建工作，但是各類破壞行動卻阻礙了有關努力。

Mowaffak al-Rubaie is Iraq's National Security Advisor. He says corruption and bad elements in the port are one of the groups supporting terrorism in Iraq.

伊拉克國家安全顧問魯柏依說：“港口地區的腐敗現象和犯罪分子是伊拉克恐怖主義的支持力量之一。

Residents of Basra say crime and terrorism have flourished since the Britain handed control back to Iraqi forces in December.

巴士拉省居民說，自從英國12月把控制權交還給伊拉克部隊以后，犯罪活動和恐怖行動日益猖狂。”

Thousands of people protested in Basra over the weekend demanding police do more to stop rampant crime and restore order.

數以千計的人上周末在巴士拉舉行抗議，要求警方制止猖獗的犯罪行為，恢復治安。

Britain's Defense Secretary Des Browne made a surprise visit to Iraq Wednesday and pledged support at the conference, held at the Basra airport.

英國國防大臣德斯.布朗星期三突訪伊拉克，并在巴士拉機場舉行的會議上承諾提供支持。

"The oil infrastructure and this magnificent airport we are in today and the port of Umm Qasr are potentially some of Iraq's most valuable assets," he said.

他說：“這個漂亮的機場和這里石油工業基礎設施以及烏姆蓋斯爾港口，這些都可能是伊拉克最寶貴的潛在財富。”

But Browne said they should not underestimate the challenges they are facing. He said it would require a strong commitment from the Iraqi government to achieve the minimum level of security required for international shipping codes. He said without that accreditation the big international shipping companies would refuse to use the port.

但是布朗說，不可低估他們所面臨的困難。他說，伊拉克政府必須付出極大的努力才能達到符合國際海運最低限度的安全標準。他說，如果達不到合格標準，大型國際海運公司會拒絕使用這個港口。

Britain still has about 4,000 troops in Iraq but is considering withdrawing a large portion in the coming months.

目前還有約4千名英國官兵留在伊拉克，但是英國當局正考慮在今后幾個月內撤回其中的很大一部分。