The United States is continuing diplomatic contacts for a Gaza cease-fire despite Israel's rejection of a French-proposed 48-hour truce. President Bush spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who is said to have given an assurance Israel is trying to minimize civilian casualties in its air campaign against Hamas.
美国在继续为实现加沙停火而进行外交努力，虽然以色列拒绝接受法国提出的停火48小时的建议。美国总统布什同以色列总理奥尔默特进行了谈话，据说奥尔默特保证，以色列正设法在对哈马斯空袭中减少平民伤亡。
Officials here say the U.S. push for a durable and sustained Gaza cease-fire is continuing undaunted, despite the failure of the French bid to arrange a 48-hour truce for humanitarian relief efforts in the coastal strip.
国务院官员说，法国谋求在加沙实施48小时停火，使人道救援能进入加沙，但是没有成功。尽管如此，美国仍在不屈不挠地争取达成牢固持久的加沙停火协议。
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is taking the lead role in U.S. telephone diplomacy.
美国国务卿赖斯带头通过电话进行外交努力。
A spokesman said she had spoken three times in the last 24 hours with both Jordanian Foreign Minister Salah al-Bashir and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed al-Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates, a Gulf state having close contacts with Iran - a key sponsor of Hamas.
国务院的一位发言人说，在过去24小时中，赖斯已经同约旦外交大臣萨拉赫·巴希尔和阿联酋外长阿卜杜拉·本·扎耶德·纳哈扬进行了三次通话。阿联酋同伊朗关系密切，而伊朗是哈马斯的主要赞助国。
Meanwhile President Bush, spending the year-end holidays in Texas, telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to, among other things, voice concern about humanitarian conditions in Gaza. White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Mr. Olmert gave a renewed assurance Israel is targeting only Hamas and those affiliated with it.
与此同时，正在德克萨斯州过新年的美国总统布什同以色列总理奥尔默特通了电话，表达了美国对加沙人道形势的关注。白宫发言人约翰德罗说，奥尔默特再次保证，以色列的袭击只针对哈马斯及其下属机构。
"Prime Minister Olmert assured President Bush that Israel is taking appropriate steps to avoid civilian casualties," said Johndroe. "That was something the president asked for an update on, and President Bush got an assurance from Prime Minister Olmert that Israel is, as they have said they are doing, only targeting Hamas and that terrorist organization and people involved with Hamas, and that they are working to minimize any civilian casualties."
他说：“奥尔默特总理向布什总统保证，以色列将采取适当措施，避免出现平民伤亡。布什总统询问了这方面的最新情况，奥尔默特向他保证，以色列只袭击哈马斯目标，以及同哈马斯有关的恐怖组织和个人，以色列正在努力把平民伤亡减到最少。”
Johndroe said U.S. efforts are aimed at durable and lasting cease-fire in Gaza that is respected by Hamas - unlike the previous six-month truce that lapsed earlier this month and which he said the militant Islamic group had regularly violated with rocket fire into Israel.
约翰德罗说，美国的目标是达成牢固、持久、得到哈马斯遵守的加沙停火协议，而不是像前一个持续了六个月的协议。那个协议在本月早些时候破裂，而且哈马斯在这期间还经常违反停火协议，向以色列发射火箭弹。
He all those concerned want an end to the violence as soon as possible, but that the United States does not want to see it start up again in days and weeks with renewed rocket attacks.
约翰德罗说，有关各方都希望尽快结束暴力冲突，不过美国不想看到在停火几天、几个星期之后又出现火箭弹袭击。
The United States had avoided calling for an immediate cease-fire until Tuesday when it joined Russia, the European Union and the United Nations - its partners in the international Quartet on the Middle East - in a statement backing an immediate truce that is "fully respected" by both sides.
美国一直回避发出立即停火的呼吁。但是，到星期二，美国和中东问题有关四方的另外三方--俄罗斯、欧盟和联合国--一起发表声明，支持在巴以双方能“全面遵守”的情况下立即停火。
In a talk with reporters here, State Department Acting Spokesman Gordon Duguid said the Quartet's wording is critical.
国务院临时发言人杜吉德对记者们说，中东问题有关四方声明的措辞是很重要的。
"That formulation is what the Quartet has agreed upon," said Duguid. "You can't take and divide that sentence. They call for an immediate cease-fire that would be fully respected. We believe both sides should reach a cease-fire as quickly as possible but that cease-fire can't be one that is called immediate and then is immediately violated with rocket attacks by Hamas."
他说：“这种表达方式是中东问题有关四方都同意的。你不能把这个句子拆开看。中东问题有关四方要求立即停火，而且停火协议必须得到全面遵守。我们相信，以色列和哈马斯应当尽快实现停火，不过这种停火协议不能被称为立即停火，然而哈马斯又立即发射火箭弹，违反协议。”
The State Department Wednesday renewed a call on U.S. citizens to avoid all travel to the Gaza strip and urged those already there to depart immediately.
美国国务院星期三再次要求美国公民不要去加沙地带旅行，并敦促在加沙的美国人马上离开那里。
U.S. diplomats and officials working in Israel have been told to avoid travel within a 30-kilometer radius of Gaza. Private Americans are being advised to keep even farther away from the conflict area, given the firing in recent days of longer-range rockets from Gaza.
美国还通知以色列的美国外交官和有关官员不要进入加沙周围方圆30公里的地区。考虑到最近几天加沙发射了射程较远的火箭弹这一事实，美国政府提醒普通美国人要远离冲突地区。 |