Rice Urges Arab States to Boost Ties With Baghdad

赖斯促阿拉伯国家加强伊拉克关系

　



U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says she will push Iraq's Arab neighbors to boost diplomatic relations and other ties with Baghdad as a counter-weight to Iranian influence. Rice leaves Saturday on a mission to the Gulf including an Iraq neighbors conference in Kuwait.

　

美国国务卿赖斯说，她将呼吁伊拉克的阿拉伯邻国同巴格达加强外交关系和其他联系，抗衡伊朗的影响。赖斯星期六将启程前往海湾国家，包括参加伊拉克几个邻国在科威特的会议。

The United States has welcomed the stated commitments of key Gulf allies including Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to set up embassies in Baghdad. But Rice is signaling impatience with a lack of action on such promises, and is making clear her intention to press the matter at the Kuwait conference.

　

美国对主要的海湾盟国，包括沙特阿拉伯和巴林发出的准备在巴格达设立使馆的承诺表示欢迎。但是，赖斯国务卿则对这个许诺之后不见行动的作法表示不耐烦，她明确表示要在科威特会议上在这个事情上施压。

In a talk with reporters, Rice said security conditions in Iraq have vastly improved since the Bush administration began pressing the issue of Arab ties with Baghdad months ago.

　

赖斯对记者说，布什政府几个月前开始推动阿拉伯国家加强同巴格达的联系之后，伊拉克的安全局势大有改善。

She said while Arab states need not match the U.S. diplomatic commitment to Iraq as evidenced by the new $700 million American embassy in Baghdad, they should be represented into order to as she put it "confirm and work for Iraq's Arab identity" in the face of Iranian influence.

　

赖斯说，尽管阿拉伯国家不必和美国一样，在巴格达建造一座价值7亿美元的大使馆，以此作为对伊拉克的外交承诺的见证，但是他们应该将承诺逐渐体现出来，面对伊朗的影响，阿拉伯国家要证实伊拉克的阿拉伯特性，并为此工作。

"Iraq should be fully reincorporated into the Arab world," Rice said. "It think that in and of itself will begin to shield from influences of Iran that are nefarious influences. Iran is a neighbor. It's going to have influence. But Iraq is first and foremost an Arab state. It's a state in which Iraqi nationalism is very strong, and the neighbors ought to be reinforcing that."

　

赖斯说：“伊拉克应该全面融入阿拉伯世界。我认为它自己应该开始抵制来自伊朗的影响，这是一种邪恶的影响。伊朗是伊拉克的邻国，必然会有影响。但是伊拉克首先是一个阿拉伯国家。这是一个伊拉克民族主义非常强烈的国家，这些邻国应该强化这一点。”

Iran will be represented at the Kuwait ministerial though Rice said she has no plans for any direct contact with the Iranian delegation.

　

伊朗将参加在科威特举行的部长级会议，不过赖斯说她没有和伊朗代表团直接接触的计划。

She said Iran must end what she termed "malign actions" that undermine the Baghdad government, and said ultimately the stability and success of Iraq is in the interests of all of its neighbors including Tehran.

　

她说，伊朗必须结束她所称的“恶意的行动”，停止削弱巴格达政府。赖斯说，伊拉克的稳定和成功最终符合所有邻国、包括德黑兰的利益。

Rice said the stress on Iranian meddling by senior U.S. figures including Iraq military commander General David Petraeus does not mean the threat from Sunni insurgents in Iraq has disappeared. But she said the position of groups like al-Qaida in Iraq has been significantly weakened:

"The context for al-Qaida and the Sunni insurgents, to the degree that they continue to operate is a far less hospitable context, in which their base of operations, Anbar [province], is overwhelmingly controlled-cities like Ramadi and Faluja - by legitimate Iraqi authorities," Rice said. "And the rebuilding of those cities gives reason to the people of those provincial cities to continue to support the government."

Rice said Iraqis are turning security gains into political progress, and she suggested that no other country in the Middle East is doing a better job of trying to peacefully reconcile its Sunni and Shiite Muslim communities.