Bush Aims to Strengthen Relations on European Trip
布什总统将出访欧洲

 
Less than one month after his return from the Middle East, U.S. President George Bush is heading abroad again, this time to Europe. He will hold talks with European Union leaders and visit the capitals of key allies: Germany, France, Italy, and Great Britain.

美国总统布什结束中东之行回到美国还不到一个月，即将再次出访，这次的目的地是欧洲。布什将跟欧盟领导人举行会谈，访问重要盟友德国、法国、意大利和英国的首都。

You might call this George W. Bush's farewell tour. As his presidency draws to a close, he is making the rounds of European capitals - stressing the importance of trans-Atlantic relations.

可以把布什的这次出访称为告别访问。布什在总统任期即将结束之际访问上述欧洲国家首都，目的是强调大西洋两岸关系的重要性。

Those ties have been strained throughout much of his presidency, in large part due to the war in Iraq.

在布什担任总统的大部分时间里，美国跟这些国家的关系紧张，主要原因是伊拉克战争。

Tensions rose during the run up to the war, and have only begun to ease a bit in the last few years. The White House has made a concerted effort to reach out to Europeans.

伊拉克战争即将打响时，美国跟欧洲盟友的紧张关系升级，最近几年才稍微有所缓解。白宫全力以赴，争取与欧洲和解。

The president's message: there is more that unites us than divides us.

布什想让欧洲知道：让我们团结的因素大于我们的分歧。

"The alliance of Europe and North America is the main pillar of our security," he said. "Our robust trade is one of the engines of the world economy. Our example of economic and political freedom gives hope to millions, who are weary of poverty and oppression."

布什说：“欧洲和北美联盟是我们实现安全的主要支柱。我们之间繁荣的贸易是推动世界经济增长的动力之一。我们的经济和政治自由榜样让厌倦贫穷和压制的成百上千万人有了希望。”

Mr. Bush visited Europe three times in the 12 months following his second inauguration. And, in February 2005, he became the first U.S. president to set foot in the Brussels headquarters of the European Union.

布什在第二届总统任期的头一年曾经先后三次访问欧洲。2005年2月，布什成为第一位访问欧盟布鲁塞尔总部的美国总统。

"Our strong friendship is essential to peace and prosperity across the globe, and no temporary debate, no passing disagreement of governments, no power on earth will ever divide us," the president said.

布什说：“我们的牢固友谊是世界和平与繁荣不可或缺的，任何一时的争论、任何政府之间过去的分歧、任何力量都不会将我们分开。”

The goal was to change the tone, to ease the bitterness of the war, according to John K. Glenn, who heads the foreign policy program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

美国德国马歇尔基金会对外政策项目负责人约翰.格伦认为，布什欧洲之行的目的是改变调子，缓和战争给美国和欧洲盟友之间造成的不愉快。

"What we have seen over the past couple years is, you might think of it as a kind of a gentleman's agreement not to discuss Iraq," he said. "And, instead, trans-Atlantic relations have been fairly bolstered by a vision of a kind of global agenda - what are the challenges that face us all? And that list is fairly formidable."

格伦说：“过去两三年的情况看起来好像是一种君子协定，就是大家同意不讨论伊拉克问题。实际上，泛大西洋国家之间的关系出于对全球的看法而得到了加强。这种看法是，我们大家共同面临的挑战是哪些？这些挑战相当可怕。”

The list includes Iran, the rise of China and Russia, and economics - especially trade.

这些挑战包括伊朗问题，中国和俄罗斯的崛起，以及经济，特别是贸易问题。

On Iran in particular, President Bush embraced the European diplomatic initiative led by Germany, France and Britain.

尤其在伊朗问题上，布什接受了德国、法国和英国所倡导的欧洲外交动议。

"The U.S. and Europe rarely have the kind of big, deep disagreements that they used to have over Iraq," said Glenn. "There certainly is [was] the complaint about a lack of consultation and coordination that we used to hear, in particular, over the issues of the Middle East. Instead, U.S.-European relations seem to be on a fairly functional, fairly working level and to be reasonably successful."

他说：“美国和欧洲很少存在像伊拉克问题上那么巨大而深刻的分歧。我们听到过双方抱怨彼此缺乏磋商和协调，特别是在中东问题上。不过，美国和欧洲的关系似乎处于比较顺畅、比较好的水平，也相当成功。”

In the final years of his term, President Bush has seen a new group of European leaders come to the fore who have signaled more of a willingness to work with the United States. Angela Merkel of Germany and Nicholas Sarkozy of France have brought about great change according to veteran journalist Reginald Dale, who is now an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

在布什总统任期的最后时间里，一批新的欧洲国家领导人崭露头角，他们表示更倾向于同美国合作。美国智库战略与国际问题研究中心的分析员雷金纳德.戴尔曾是一位资深记者。他认为，德国总理默克尔和法国总统萨尔科奇给欧洲带来了很大的改变。

"Sarkozy even ran for office with the nickname of 'the American,' and made no secret of the fact that he wanted to patch up relations - not only patch up relations with the United States, but that he admired the United States," he said.

他说：“萨尔科奇甚至以‘美国人’为昵称来参加竞选，并且公开表示他不仅想修补和美国的关系，而且很欣赏美国。”

Dale says that fondness for the U.S. may be bearing fruit.

戴尔说，对美国的喜爱也许正在产生良好的效果。

"The whole climate in Europe has actually moved more favorably from President Bush's point of view," he said. "And even - we are beginning to see slightly less anti-Americanism in Europe at the popular level."

他说：“实际上，从布什总统的角度看，欧洲整体上变得更加友善了。我们甚至开始看到欧洲普通老百姓的反美情绪已经略微减弱。”

The improvement in the image of the United States, according to European public opinion surveys, is slight but real. In part, experts say, it may be because of the prospect of change in the White House as Americans prepare to elect a new president.

欧洲的民意调查结果显示，美国形像的改善虽然有限，但却是实实在在的。有关专家说，这种变化的部分原因可能是美国人准备选举新总统，白宫内将出现变化。

But Dale says it may also be a function of a growing realization that the two sides need each other.

但是，戴尔说，还有一个原因可能是，双方越来越认识到彼此需要对方。

"The relationship between Europe and the United States will be absolutely key to solving the problems of the 21st century," he said. "Where else can the United States ultimately look for allies but Europe? It has to be Europe."

他说：“美欧关系绝对是解决21世纪各种问题的关键。除了欧洲，美国最终还能去哪里寻找盟友呢？只能是欧洲。”

Dale says, despite their fundamental problems, the Americans and the Europeans share basic values of the rule of law, democracy and freedom. He says their bond is unique, and unlike any other in the world.

戴尔说，虽然美欧关系存在一些根本性问题，但是双方都信奉法治、民主和自由的基本价值观。他说，双方的凝聚力是独特的，和其它任何国家都不同。