U.S. President George Bush is headed to the Middle East for a nine-day visit to press the peace process and to try to convince his Arab allies that Iran remains a threat to regional security. But the U.S. leader will be greeted by widespread skepticism in the Arab world, where public opinion polls show he remains unpopular.
美国总统布什前往中东进行为期9天的访问，布什此行的目的是推进和平进程，并试图说服美国的阿拉伯盟友，伊朗仍然对地区安全造成威胁。但是，布什将受到来自阿拉伯世界的广泛怀疑，阿拉伯地区的民意测验显示，布什仍然不受欢迎。
President Bush's visit to the Middle East comes amid waves of criticism and rancor from the Arab press. Newspaper columnists note the push for Middle East peace has not begun until the final year of the president's two terms in office.
布什总统即将访问中东引发阿拉伯媒体的猛烈批评和敌视。报纸专栏作家指出，在布什总统的两届总统任期剩下最后一年的时候才开始推动中东和平进程的努力。
Mr. Bush remains one of the least popular world leaders in Arab opinion polls, and is held personally responsible by many in the region for the destabilizing chaos in Iraq. In his tour of the region, he will have to overcome widespread skepticism about his new push toward an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
在对阿拉伯人进行的民意测验中，布什总统仍然是最不受欢迎的世界领导人之一。中东地区的很多人认为，布什总统应该为伊拉克的不稳定局势负责。在布什访问中东期间，在推动一项巴以和平协议所做的努力方面，布什总统需要克服广泛的怀疑。
Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa acknowledged this when he spoke to reporters on Sunday, saying everyone - including himself - has lots of suspicions and doubts.
阿拉伯联盟秘书长穆萨星期天同记者谈话时承认了这一点。他说，每一个人，包括他自己，都有很多的疑惑和怀疑。
Moussa said that the United States should bear its responsibilities if it wants to change the situation and the general feeling in the Middle East.
穆萨说，如果美国希望改变中东地区的形势和民众的普遍情绪，美国就应该承担起自己的责任。
But he also said it is necessary to open diplomatic doors, rather than close them.
但是，穆萨说，有必要开启外交之门，而不是关闭它。
He added that it is an important visit and comes at a critical time.
穆萨说，这是一次很重要的访问，并且是在一个重要的时刻进行的访问。
He notes that Mr. Bush hopes to reach a Middle East peace deal by the end of this year, and has promised to take a comprehensive approach to the peace process.
穆萨指出，布什总统希望在今年年底达成一项中东和平协议，同时承诺要在和平进程中采取纵观全局的立场。
Analyst Hassan Abu Taleb, of the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo, agrees with many others that confidence-building is a significant hurdle for President Bush.
开罗的金字塔政治与策略中心分析家塔勒博同意许多其他人的观点，他们认为建立信心是布什总统面临的重要障碍。
He says the Arab world wants the American president to express his personal commitment to his vision regarding the establishment of two states, Palestinian and Israeli, as well as his personal concern with overcoming obstacles facing the negotiations.
塔勒博说，对有关巴勒斯坦和以色列并存的问题，阿拉伯世界希望布什总统能够做出他本人的承诺，并且希望他说明对克服谈判所面临的障碍有什么样的个人担忧。
In addition to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Iran remains high on the president's agenda as he tours the region. Iran's relations with the Gulf states and Egypt have been warming in recent months. Mr. Bush has made it clear that he intends to tell his Arab allies that he still views Iran as a threat.
除了巴以和平进程，伊朗仍然是布什总统此次访问的重要议题之一。伊朗同海湾国家和埃及的关系在近几年有所升温。布什总统重申，他希望告诉阿拉伯的盟友，他仍然认为伊朗是一个威胁。
Mr. Bush's first stop will be Israel, but he is also due to visit Bahrain, headquarters of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, just days after a Persian Gulf confrontation involving three U.S. warships and five speedboats from Iran's Republican Guard.
President Bush is coming to the Middle East amid rising tensions on a number of other fronts, as well.
Two incidents early Tuesday underlined the fragile security situation in Lebanon. Israel said two rockets fired from south Lebanon slammed into northern Israel, and two U.N. peacekeepers in south Lebanon were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle.
A Lebanese political crisis has left the country without a president for more than six weeks. The standoff between the Lebanese opposition and ruling coalition is seen in part as a proxy for the regional battle for influence between the United States and Europe on the one hand, and Syria and Iran on the other.
Relations between Israel and Egypt are at a low ebb, 30 years after the signing of the historic peace accord between the two countries.
Israeli authorities have repeatedly accused Egypt of failing to adequately police the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. Egypt says the allegations are untrue, and accuses Israel in turn of trying to sabotage Cairo's relationship with Washington.
After leaving Jerusalem on Friday, the president will visit Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. He returns to Washington on January 17. |