Bush Urges NATO Enlargement, More Troops for Afghanistan
布什敦促北约东扩和在阿富汗增兵
As NATO leaders gathered in Romania for summit talks, U.S. President George W. Bush urged the alliance to continue to expand eastward and to increase its presence in Afghanistan. In a speech in Bucharest, Mr. Bush laid out his NATO policy.
As he prepared to attend his final NATO summit, President Bush outlined his goals for the alliance.
美国总统布什做好准备参加他在总统任期内的最后一次北约首脑会议,并且给北约列出了他的一些目标。
In a speech to a group of security experts, broadcast live on Romanian television, he touched on familiar themes: the benefits of NATO expansion, the terrorist threat and the importance of the NATO military operation in Afghanistan.
Mr. Bush noted that during his time in office NATO has expanded to include new members from the Baltics to the Black Sea. He said Ukraine and Georgia should be given a chance.
"Here in Bucharest, we must make clear that NATO welcomes the aspirations of Georgia and Ukraine for their membership in NATO and offers them a clear path forward to meet that goal," he said.
But Russia is vehemently opposed. And France and Germany suggest now may not be the time to start the process of bringing the two former Soviet republics into the alliance.
"We expect our NATO allies to shoulder the burden necessary to succeed," he said.
布什总统说:“我们期望北约同盟国共同担负起战争胜利所需要的重担。”
President Basescu picked up the theme.
罗马尼亚总统伯塞斯库也谈到了这个问题。
"Any lack of success of NATO in Afghanistan will diminish dramatically the credibility of our organization," he said.
他说:“北约在阿富汗造成的任何失败都将严重影响北约的信用。”
The two returned to Bucharest shortly before the summit began. Mr. Bush conferred privately with NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer before joining other alliance leaders for an official working dinner.
Both the president and the secretary-general predicted positive summit outcomes on Afghanistan and plans to put a missile defense system in Europe.
布什和夏侯雅伯都预计,这次峰会将在阿富汗问题上产生积极成果。双方还计划在欧洲建立一个导弹防御系统。
"I am, like you, optimistic that this is going to be a very successful summit," he said.
布什说:“我和你一样乐观,相信这次峰会能够取得成功。”
At the end of the week, Russian President Vladimir Putin will join the NATO summit for a discussion of issues of keen interest to Moscow, most notably missile defense.
President Bush will also meet privately with Mr. Putin on Sunday at his home in Sochi - a Russian resort town on the Black Sea, just across from Romania. Mr. Bush says he expects it will be a frank discussion, noting they will be meeting for the last time before Vladimir Putin leaves office in May.