G8 Leaders to Discuss Africa, Climate

八国峰会讨论援助非洲、气候问题

　



Leaders from the world's biggest industrial nations meet in Japan on Monday for the annual Group of Eight summit.

　

世界主要工业化国家领导人星期一在日本出席八大工业发达国家高峰会议。

U.S. President George Bush says he will use this year's G8 summit to press other leaders to honor previous commitments to help Africa.

　

美国总统布什说，他将利用今年八大国峰会的机会，敦促其他国家领导人履行先前作出的对非洲的援助承诺。

"We need people who not only make promises, but write checks for the sake of human rights and human dignity and for the sake of peace. Accountability is really important when it comes to our work on the continent of Africa," President Bush said.

　

他说：“我们需要那些不仅能够作出承诺、而且能够兑现承诺的人，能为人权和人的尊严以及和平努力提供资金。在我们为非洲大陆所作的努力中，我们必须能承担责任，这很重要。”

Two years ago, G8 leaders promised to double financial assistance to Africa to $22 billion by the year 2010. But the nonpartisan AIDS and poverty awareness group the One Campaign says just 14 percent of those funds have been delivered.

　

两年前，八大工业国领导人承诺，到2010年时，要把对非洲的经济援助提高一倍，达到220亿美元。但是，从事艾滋病和贫困工作的无党派组织“统一行动”说，到目前为止，只发放了14%的资金。

Julianne Smith directs the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a bipartisan public policy research group in Washington.

　

朱利安娜.史密斯是战略和国际研究中心欧洲项目部主任，这个研究机构是华盛顿的一个跨党派的政策研究机构。

"I think one thing Bush can say to the other G8 leaders is, look, the data that's out in terms of compliance, with the commitments that were made at the last - you know, they always check countries' compliance with the commitments that are made at the last summit," she said. "And the U.S. is really at the top of the list if you look at that data. And so, I think President Bush can come to the summit and say, I would like to see other countries increase their compliance with the commitments, whether it is aid to Africa or other economic commitments we have made."

　

史密斯说：“我想布什在八大工业国会议上可能会对其他国家领导人说的一件事是：看，我们在上一次峰会上所作承诺的兑现情况的数据在这里。要知道他们总是会审查这些国家对在上一次峰会中的承诺的执行情况。如果你看一下这些数据，你会发现美国真的是最信守承诺的国家。因此我想，布什总统可以在会议上说，我希望看到其它国家不论在对非洲的援助、还是在其它的经济承诺方面，都更为努力地履行诺言。”

Global climate change is also on the agenda. At last year's G8 meeting in Germany, President Bush blocked binding limits on greenhouse gases because they did not apply to other big polluters, including China and India.

　

全球气候变化问题也是这次峰会的议程之一。去年八国集团峰会期间，布什总统阻止对温室气体排放设定限制，因为这些规定并不应用于其它污染大国，包括中国和印度。

This year's summit will include China and India in a separate meeting of 16 major economies responsible for 80 percent of world carbon-dioxide emissions.

　

今年的峰会将让中国和印度参加另行举行的16个主要经济体会议，这16个经济体的二氧化碳排放量占全球的80%。

Michael Levi is the Senior Fellow for energy and environment at the nonpartisan private research group the Council on Foreign Relations. He says summit host Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda wants to keep the United States in the process ahead of what many world leaders expect to be a different approach to climate change from the next American president.

　

迈克尔.利瓦伊是另一个无党派私营智囊机构“外交关系协会”的能源和环境问题高级研究员。他说，峰会东道主日本首相福田康夫希望赶在美国下一任总统上台前把美国纳入气候变化问题的进程。许多世界领导人预计，美国下一任总统在气候变化问题上会有不同的做法。

"I think you will see a similar thing at this meeting: the Japanese trying to balance a desire to have the strongest-possible outcome with an even larger interest in making sure that whatever path this meeting sets the group on for the future, the United States can be part of it and a new U.S. administration can steer it in a direction that they will be pleased with," he said.

　

利瓦伊说：“我想，在这次会议上你会看到类似的情况：即日本想努力平衡希望尽可能达到最强效果的愿望。他们更感兴趣的是无论这次会议为这个集团的未来设定什么样的目标和方向，都要确保美国参与其中。新的美国总统的政府能朝他们所乐意的方向前进。”

Prime Minister Fukuda wants a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050. White House officials say that is a worthy goal, but they are focused more on each nation setting its own mid-term targets.

　

福田康夫首相希望在2050年时，把温室气体的排放量减少50%。白宫官员说，这是很有价值的目标。但是，他们更关注的是每一个国家都设定自己的中期目标。

Michael Green was senior director for Asian affairs at the U.S. National Security Council in 2004 and 2005. He is now an associate professor of international relations at Georgetown University.

　

迈克尔.格林曾经在2004年到2005年期间担任美国国家安全委员会亚洲事务的高级负责人。他现在是乔治敦大学国际关系副教授。

"The other leaders know there is an election in November. And they are looking very, very closely at the positions that Senators McCain and Obama are taking on issues like climate change, non-proliferation, North Korea, Iran, and so forth," Green noted. "But I do not think that the president's potential leadership role or stature is as diminished as you might expect in this forum, in part because he knows them all quite well. They have a working relationship. They have a common interest in demonstrating that this forum can do something."

　

格林说：“其他国家领导人知道今年11月美国要举行大选。因此，他们都在非常密切地注视参议员麦凯恩和奥巴马在气候变化、核不扩散、北韩、伊朗等问题上的立场。但是，我认为，布什总统在这次论坛上的领导人角色或是领导地位不会像你可能预想的那样会弱化。部分原因是，他很了解这些领导人，他们之间有工作关系。他们有共同的利益，那就是，他们需要向世界展示这是一个可以有所作为的论坛。”

In addition to China and India, Mexico, Brazil, and South Africa are invited to this summit as are South Korea, Indonesia, and Australia. Reflecting the meeting's focus on African issues, the head of the African Union is expected to attend as are the leaders of Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tanzania.

　

除了中国、印度、墨西哥、巴西和南非外，韩国、印度尼西亚和澳大利亚也被邀请参加这次峰会。为了展示非洲问题是这次峰会的主要议题，预计非洲联盟领导人、埃塞俄比亚、加纳、尼日利亚、塞内加尔以及坦桑尼亚领导人都会出席会议。