美国国务卿赖斯前往印度，就美国与印度的民用核能合作协议与印方会谈。该协议已经获得美国国会批准。

　　Secretary Rice will hold talks Saturday with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee on the civilian nuclear pact, which the U.S. Congress approved this week.

　　美国国务卿赖斯定于星期六同印度总理辛格和外长慕克吉就印美民用核协议举行会谈，美国国会本周批准了这项协议。

　　The agreement ends a ban on sale of civilian nuclear technology and equipment to New Delhi, which was imposed in 1974 when India first conducted nuclear tests. India has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

　　该协议解除了不准向印度出售民用核技术和设备的禁令，这一禁令是1974年印度首次进行核试验之后开始实施的。印度一直没有签署《核不扩散条约》。

　　Former Indian foreign secretary and former Indian ambassador to the United States Lalit Mansingh says the pact represents a "big step forward" for India.

　　印度前外交秘书和印度前驻美国大使曼辛格表示，该协议对印度来说是前进了“一大步”。

　　"Its real significance lies in the fact that the entire key to unlocking the three-and-a-half decades of technological isolation, these keys were in the hands of the United States," he said. "So, finally, the U.S. has come around to giving us the opening. Historically, it is very significant. Americans who took the leadership in imposing sanctions on India have finally helped India get out of it."

　　曼辛格说：“它的真正意义在于，提供了打开35年技术封锁的全部钥匙，这些钥匙掌握在美国手中。所以，最终是美国转变了态度，给我们开禁。从历史上看，这非常重要。在制裁印度方面居主导地位的美国最终帮助印度解除禁令。”

　　Mansingh says the pact will also enhance India's stature by allowing it to trade in civilian nuclear commerce, while retaining its nuclear weapons. "On the one hand, it enhances India's stature," he said. "On the other hand, it recognizes India's enhanced stature. India is getting into the higher league. India is going to be globally more active."

　　U.S. Secretary Rice hailed the agreement Thursday, before departing for India. "It is an agreement that cements an effort that we've been making for some time to bring together the world's largest democracy with the world's oldest continuous democracy," she said. "And we believe that the relationship between the United States and India is on a very firm footing, and that can only be good for democracy and it can only be good for the world."

　　美国国务卿赖斯星期四在离开华盛顿前往印度之前赞扬了这一协议。赖斯说：“这项协议标志着我们的努力终获成效。我们在一段时间里一直在促进世界最大的民主国家与世界上持续时间最久的民主国家之间的合作。我们认为美国和印度之间的关系有非常坚实的基础。这对民主和整个世界来说都只能是有利的。”

　　Both India and Washington have been building closer ties in recent years.

　　印度和华盛顿最近几年来都在发展更密切的关系。

　　However, Indian Communist parties continue to staunchly oppose the deal. They say the government has surrendered the country's sovereignty to U.S. imperialism, and plan to hold demonstrations on Saturday to protest the agreement. The largest opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, also says the agreement is not in India's interests.

　　The pact will effectively open a huge market worth billions of dollars to companies from Western countries to build civilian nuclear reactors in India.

　　这项协议将有效地为西方公司打开一个价值数十亿美元的巨大的市场，在印度修建民用核反应堆。

　　Earlier this week, India signed an atomic energy pact with France during a visit by the Indian prime minister to Paris. Companies from France, Russia and the United States are expected to be on top of the list for engaging in nuclear commerce with India.

　　本星期早些时候，在印度总理访问巴黎期间，印度与法国签署了一项核能协议。法国、俄罗斯和美国公司预计将是与印度从事核贸易的主要公司。