法国总统呼吁结束对古巴禁运

 　　HAVANA, May 11 (Xinhua)-- Visiting French President Francois Hollande on Monday urged the U.S. economic sanctions on Cuba to be lifted as they have caused "so much damage."

　　"France should do whatever is necessary to allow new decisions to be made, that confirms the opening up of Cuba, so that these sanctions that are so damaging to Cuba can at last come to an end so that every country can be respected for its own identity," said Hollande at the University of Havana during a conference attended by Cuban Vice¹ President Miguel Diaz Canel.

　　The French leader said his country had always opposed the U.S. economic embargo² on the Caribbean island nation which has been in force since 1962.

　　Since 1992, France has voted in favor of lifting the ban at the United Nations.

　　French President Hollande calls for end to U.S. embargo on Cuba

　　While claiming the sanctions have "blocked Cuban development," Hollande expressed his intention to reinforce and boost Paris- Havana relations.

　　Hollande arrived late Sunday night in the Cuban capital of Havana, accompanied by executives of French companies and government officials. This marks the first visit from a French head of State to Cuba.

　　Hollande's visit is also the first visit made by a Western European president to the island in more than 55 years and the first since December when U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced they would restore diplomatic ties between the two countries.

　　Hollande's agenda for Monday also included having official talks with his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro, and opening the new headquarters of the French Alliance in Havana, dedicated³ to promoting French culture abroad.

　　Currently, France is Cuba's 11th most important trading partner, with bilateral⁴ ties concentrated on trading food and industrial products, tourism, telecommunication⁵ and transport.

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

3 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

4 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

5 telecommunication   

n.电信，远距离通信

参考例句：

• Telecommunication is an industry of service.电信业是一个服务型的行业。
• I only care about the telecommunication quality and the charge.我只关心通信质量和资费两个方面。