French President Nicolas Sarkozy is on a two-day state visit to Britain and addressed a rare joint session of parliament. Mr. Sarkozy hailed bilateral relations, speaking of a new era of Franco-British brotherhood and said he would propose boosting France's military presence in Afghanistan at the upcoming NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania next week. But, the visit is being watched closely not just for the substance of the talks but, perhaps even more, for Mr. Sarkozy's behavior and style.
法国总统萨尔科齐在英国进行两天的国事访问，他在英国议会少有的上下两院联席会议上发表了演讲。萨尔科齐赞扬了两国的双边关系，说法英兄弟关系进入一个新纪元。他说，他有意在罗马尼亚首都布加勒斯特即将召开的北约首脑会谈上提议增加法国在阿富汗的驻军。不过，萨尔科齐在访问过程中受到密切关注的不仅是他谈话的实质内容，似乎还有更多引人注目的方面，那就是萨尔科齐的举止和风格。
Pomp, pageantry and symbolism mark the first day of this visit. President Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni, were whisked off to Windsor, outside of London, where they were met by Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh.
辉煌典雅、华丽壮观、象征性强是这次访问第一天的特点。萨尔科奇总统和夫人卡拉.布鲁尼来到伦敦郊外的温沙堡，受到了伊丽莎白女王和爱丁堡公爵菲利普亲王的接待。
They were driven in gold-gilded, horse-drawn carriages to Windsor Castle for a review of the honor guard and then lunch with Queen.
他们坐在镶金的马车上，缓缓进入温沙城堡，检阅了皇家卫队的仪仗队，然后和女王共进午餐。
Yet, behind the display of pageantry and tradition also lay an important opportunity for Mr. Sarkozy - a chance to display a new, more serious presidential style, says French political analyst Dominique Moisi.
不过，法国政治分析人士多米尼克.莫伊西认为，在华丽和传统仪式的背后，对萨尔科齐总统还有一个重要的机会，那就是表现出一个新的、更严肃的总统风格。
"This is the first state visit of the president with his new wife. At the moment, the president is very [much] criticized. Will he become more presidential? What does he have to do? - much less, not to move too much, just look quiet, distant, cold. You [the president] are the incarnation of France; you are the symbol of the Republic," said Moisi.
莫伊西说：“这是法国新总统第一次携新婚夫人对英国进行国事访问。目前这位总统正受到舆论的很多批评。他能不能更像一位总统呢？他必须做些什么呢？其实很少，他不必张扬，要显得沉静、冷漠、跟别人保持适当的距离。因为他就是法国的化身，是这个共和国的象征。”
President Sarkozy has been the focus of severe criticism in France and of much amusement abroad for flouting convention - his divorce from his second wife and very public romance and quick third marriage to the Italian-born former model and pop singer Carla Bruni. He has promoted an image of being a man on the move, but photos of him in dark sunglasses and text messaging on his mobile phone even at official functions have proved embarrassing.
萨尔科齐总统一直是法国舆论严厉批评的焦点，在国外是人们嘲笑的对象和消遣的谈资。从他和第二任妻子离婚，到公开的罗曼史，然后又迅速地和意大利出生的前模特、流行歌手卡拉.布鲁尼结婚。萨尔科齐提升了一个从不懈怠的男人形像，但是他在官方场合经常被拍下戴着墨镜、用手机发送信息的照片，让人觉得尴尬。
Mr. Sarkozy won last year's elections promising to reform the French economy and improve the standard of living, but instead his private life has made headlines, and his approval ratings have dropped sharply.
萨尔科齐去年赢得选举后承诺改革法国的经济、提高生活水平，但是他的私生活却成了媒体的头条消息。作为总统，他的支持率大幅度下滑。
His state visit to Britain is widely seen as a chance to turn his image around.
萨尔科齐对英国的访问被广泛认为是改变形像的一个机会。
But the visit also provides an opportunity for substantive talks, and Mr. Sarkozy has already said he wants to strengthen bilateral relations. Dominique Moisi, senior advisor to the French Institute for International Relations in Paris, tells VOA that key substantive issues are defense and security.
不过，这次访问也为实质性的谈判提供了机会，萨尔科齐已经表示，他希望加强双边关系。设在巴黎的法国国际关系研究所高级顾问莫伊西对美国之音说，最实质的问题是国防和安全。
"Nothing in Europe can be done if the two key defense actors - France and Great Britain - are not closer to each other. And, France is moving closer to NATO, France is probably going to say in the coming days that she is increasing her military presence in Afghanistan," added Moisi. "Can we go further?"
他说：“在欧洲，如果两个关键的防卫主角--英国和法国的关系不能更加密切，那什么也做不成。还有，法国和北约更加接近，法国最近几天就可能会说将增加驻阿富汗的军队人数，还能不能更进一步呢？”
Among other issues likely to be discussed are greater cooperation on immigration, development of nuclear energy and stabilizing world financial markets.
另外一些很有可能讨论的话题是双方在移民问题上的更大合作，发展核能以及稳定国际金融市场。 |