U.S. Vice President Joe Biden met Friday with Lebanese leaders in Beirut, two weeks before parliamentary elections. Lebanon's Western-backed government is locked in a close electoral contest with the pro-Syrian Hezbollah and its allies.
美国副总统拜登星期五在贝鲁特会晤了黎巴嫩领导人，这次会面是在议会选举之前两个星期。受西方支持的黎巴嫩政府处于支持叙利亚真主党及其盟友的激烈选战中。
Vice President Biden is the highest-level U.S. official to visit Beirut since 1983.
副总统拜登是自从1983年以来，拜访贝鲁特的最高层次的美国官员。
Show of support
Following a meeting with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, Mr. Biden told a joint news conference the U.S. is not backing any party in Lebanon's June 7 parliamentary election. He said the U.S. strongly supports the Lebanese state, and its institutions.
拜登在结束和黎巴嫩总统米歇尔.苏莱曼的会议之后，在联合记者会上说，在6月7日黎巴嫩的议会选举中，美国将不会支持任何一党。他表示美国大力支持黎巴嫩国家以及它的体制。
"I do not come here to back any particular party or any particular person; I come to demonstrate strong United States backing for certain fundamental principles. The principle that the Lebanese people alone, the Lebanese people alone, should choose their leaders, a principle that Lebanese sovereignty cannot, will be and will not be traded away," said Biden.
“我并非来这里支持任何一个特定的政党或特定的人选；我来这里表示美国对某些基本原则的大力支持。这原则就必须是黎巴嫩人自己，也只有黎巴嫩人该选择他们的领导人，这是黎巴嫩主权不能、也将不会出卖的原则。”
President Suleiman assured Mr. Biden that the Lebanese state was preparing to "carry out the election in a fair and transparent way."
总统苏莱曼向拜登保证，黎巴嫩全国正在准备举行“公平以及透明的选举”。
The Shi'ite group Hezbollah accused Mr. Biden of "meddling in Lebanon's internal affairs."
什叶派真主党指责拜登“干预黎巴嫩内政”。
Not trying to interfere
The United States considers Hezbollah a terrorist organization and has been a strong supporter of the current government headed by Mr. Suleiman.
美国视真主党为恐怖组织，并且美国是当前由苏莱曼领导的政府的有力支持者。
Vice President Biden said he was not trying to influence the elections, saying it is for the Lebanese people to decide on their government.
副总统拜登表示，他并没有试图影响选举。他说黎巴嫩人民将决定他们自己的政府。
Mr. Biden also met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah, as well as with Prime Minister Fouad Saniora.
拜登还会见了议会议长、真主党的盟友贝里，也会见了总理福阿德.西尼乌拉。
Lebanese political analyst Rami Khouri said the vice president has to tread carefully in talks with Lebanon's leaders.
"It's probably a good thing in principle. In practice it proves to be contentious when the U.S. gets involved in a heavy level or any external player gets involved. If any external actor who comes to Lebanon and is seen to be supporting one side or the other, it tends to muddy up the waters, so it really depends on what he says in private," he said.
A strong Hezbollah showing in the June 7 parliamentary elections could lead the U.S. to rethink its strategy toward Lebanon, as well as U.S. military support for the Lebanese Army, and further complicate Arab-Israeli peace efforts. |