US Official Asks India to Move Quickly to Seal Civilian Nuclear Deal

美官员促印度与美达成民用核协议

　

A senior American official has urged India to move quickly to wrap up a civilian nuclear deal with the United States. The request comes as India's prime minister says his government is trying to build a political consensus on the controversial agreement, which is strongly opposed by his communist allies.

　

美国一位高级官员敦促印度迅速采取行动，和美国敲定一笔民用核交易。印度总理说，印度政府正努力就这项有争议的交易取得政治共识，而这项交易受到他的共产党盟友的强烈反对。

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher says the civilian nuclear deal between India and the United States faces a lot of "tight deadlines."

　

美国助理国务卿包润石说，印度与美国的这笔民用核交易面临着很多“紧迫的最后期限”。

Boucher spoke to reporters Wednesday in New Delhi, where he has met Indian officials.

　

包润石星期三在新德里发表以上讲话。他在新德里会晤了印度官员。

The deal will allow New Delhi to get access to civilian nuclear technology, even though it has not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

　

如果双方达成协议，尽管印度没有签署核不扩散条约，也仍然可以获得民用核技术。

The pact still needs to get the final approval of the U.S. Congress. Before that happens, India has to conclude an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency and obtain a waiver from the 45-nation Nuclear Supplier Group, which regulates global civilian nuclear trade.

　

这笔交易还需要得到美国国会的最终批准。在此之前，印度必须与国际原子能机构达成协议，并取得核供应国集团45个成员国的同意。核供应国集团负责协调管理全球的民用核交易。

Boucher says all these steps need to be completed quickly so that the pact can be presented to the U.S. Congress by July, ahead of the American presidential elections.

　

包润石说，所有这些步骤都要迅速完成，才能赶在美国总统选举之前，于7月把这笔交易提交美国国会。

"You start adding these things up and we are kind of playing on overtime right now. There is an awful lot of work to do and not a lot of time. So, I think everybody understands that reality and, as I said, as soon as the Indian government is ready to go ahead, we are too," Boucher said.

　

他说：“很多工作摆在面前，而我们现在已经有些滞后了。工作很多，但是时间却不多。所以我认为大家都了解这个现实。只要印度政府做好准备，我们也做好了准备。”

The deal has been held up by domestic politics in India. The Indian government's Communist allies strongly oppose the agreement because they feel it undermines India's sovereignty and have warned the government not to go ahead with it.

　

这项协议的进展受到印度国内政治的拖延。印度政府中联合政党的共产党强烈反对这项协议。他们认为这将损害印度主权，并警告政府不要签署这项协议。

However, the government is holding talks with the IAEA and says it remains committed to sealing the nuclear agreement with Washington.

　

印度政府正在和国际原子能机构举行谈判，而且表示印度仍然致力于跟美国签署这一核协议。

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told parliament Wednesday his government is trying to bring around its allies.

　

印度总理辛格星期三对议会说，印度正在试图说服持印度共产党。

"We also continue to seek the broadest possible consensus within the country to enable the next step to be taken," Singh said. I believe such cooperation is good for us, for our energy security and for the world.

　

他说：“我们还在继续寻求在国内形成最大的共识，以便采取下一步的进程。这种合作对我们是有利的，对我们的能源安全有利，对世界有利。”

But it remains unclear how Prime Minister Singh will overcome opposition from his Communist allies, who have repeatedly threatened to withdraw support for the government if it goes ahead with the nuclear deal.

　

可是现在仍然不清楚辛格总理将采取何种办法说服共产党联盟转变立场。印度共产党反复威胁说，如果印度政府签署这项核协议，他们就不再支持政府。