The U.S. embassy in Sudan is warning of a threat by Islamist extremists to attack the Sudanese government as well as "Western interests."
美国驻苏丹使馆发出警告说,伊斯兰极端份子可能攻击苏丹政府和“西方设施”。
A statement on the U.S. embassy website warned that a post on a radical Islamist website threatened an attack on the Sudanese government. It indicated the threat is related to the recent death of a suspected Islamic extremist.
美国使馆网站上的一个声明警告说,激进伊斯兰份子网站上登的文章威胁要攻击苏丹政府。声明指出,这次威胁和最近一名涉嫌为伊斯兰极端份子的人的死亡有关。
The statement provided few details of the threat, but warned that calls for violence against the government as well as "Western interests" could also be made during prayers on Friday, and urged Americans in Sudan to exercise caution.
声明没有提供关于威胁的细节,但是警告说,对政府以及西方设施发动暴力的呼吁,可能会在星期五祈祷时发出,他们敦促在苏丹的美国人提高警惕。
US terrorism list
Sudan has been on the U.S. government's list of state sponsors of terrorism since 1993. Sudanese officials have been pushing Washington to remove Sudan from the list in recent years, as the country has cooperated in sharing intelligence as part of the war on terror. The United States says terrorists remain active in the country.
自从1993年以来,苏丹一直在美国政府有关支持恐怖主义国家的名单上。苏丹官员近几年已经敦促华盛顿将苏丹从名单上除去,因为苏丹在分享情报方面进行合作,作为反恐战争的一部分。美国说,苏丹国内的恐怖份子仍然十分活跃。
Meanwhile, political leaders from Sudan's two main parties, the northern National Congress Party and the southern Sudan People's Liberation Movement, have been meeting in Washington to discuss the fragile 2005 peace agreement, with the mediation of the U.S. envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration.
与此同时,苏丹两个主要政党的领导人在美国苏丹特使格雷申的协调下在华盛顿举行会晤,对2005年脆弱的和平协议进行谈判。这两个政党是北方的人民全国大会党和南方的苏丹人民解放运动。
Tuesday, representatives of 20 countries, as well as a dozen international organizations held a forum on the agreement.
星期二,来自20个国家的代表和12个国际组织就这一协议举行了论坛。
Avoid another war
American Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg highlighted the importance of avoiding a return to the 22-year north-south war, which killed an estimated 1.5 million people.
美国副国务卿斯坦伯格强调防止返回南北方持续22年战争的重要性,估计有150万人在战争中丧生。
"That legacy of loss provides a reminder of the promise that this agreement represents, but also its stakes for the future as we try to make sure that this tragedy does not happen again. It is a young peace and it is much younger than the fight that it ended, but we have to make sure that it becomes a much more long-lived one," he said.
斯坦伯格说:“战争造成的损失提醒我们这个协议代表的前景,以及在我们试图确保悲剧不再发生的同时,它所涉及的利害关系。和平和刚结束的战争相比还十分年轻,但是我们要确保它成为持久的和平。”
Steinberg noted that the agreement will soon face a number of crucial tests, including national elections set for February.
斯坦伯格指出,和平协议将很快面临一些严峻的考验,包括明年二月将举行的全国选举。
"But we also recognize that we are facing some very important milestones in the near future, which will determine the path of the future. And they will set the foundation, for better or for worse, of the very future of Sudan and for the region as a whole. And therefore the stakes are enormous and the importance of really focusing our efforts now in making sure that these processes as they go forward are fair, open, transparent, and are consistent with the spirit that brought about the CPA in the first place," he added.
他说:“但是我们同时也承认,我们在不远的未来会面临一些非常重要的事件,它们将决定未来的道路。它们也将为苏丹以及整个区域打下基础,不管是好是怀。因此,这里涉及的利害关系相当大,而重要的是,我们要集中力量确保这些进程,随着它们的发展,都必需是公正的,公开的,透明的,并符合原先导致全面和平协议的精神。”
Elections postponed
Elections had originally been set for this July, but were postponed due to lack of preparations. But many observers worry continued disputes between the two sides will prevent a fair poll from being organized. The south is to vote on whether to secede from the north in a 2011 referendum.
苏丹选举原本安排在七月,但是因缺乏准备而延期。很多观察员担心双方持续的争端将阻碍组织一场公平的选举。南方将在2010年举行公投,决定是否要脱离北方。
The participants at the forum also stressed the importance of abiding by an arbitration court's decision on the boundaries of the disputed Abyei area. The area, along the north-south border, contains much of Sudan's oil, the most important contributor to the wealth of both north and south Sudan.
The area has been the source of some of the greatest instability since the 2005 agreement, including clashes last year that displaced 50,000 people and razed much of Abyei town to the ground. The court, based in the Hague, is expected to deliver its decision next month. |