The Obama administration is stepping up pressure on the U.S. Senate to ratify a nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia. Called the New START treaty, it builds on a landmark arms control agreement signed by the United States and the Soviet Union in 1991.
奥巴马政府加紧向美国参议院施压，要求批准一项与俄罗斯的削减核武器条约。这个新的《削减战略武器条约》是以美国和前苏联于1991年签署的一份里程碑式的武器控制协议为基础的。
The initial accord expired last year, and the fate of its successor might hinge on the ability of the U.S. Senate to act in a brief, end-of-year session. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a high-profile visit to urge prompt ratification of the treaty.
两国最初的协议于去年到期，而新条约的命运可能会取决于美国参议院是否能在年底前的短暂会议期间采取行动。克林顿国务卿高调在国会现身，敦促国会尽快批准这项条约。
It is called a "full court press" - an all-out administration effort to get key legislation approved by Congress. On Tuesday, Vice President Joe Biden issued a strongly-worded statement warning of grave consequences for U.S. national security if the New START accord is not ratified. The next day, Secretary of State Clinton underscored the point in a corridor near the floor of the U.S. Senate.
这正是所谓的“全面出击”，也就是奥巴马政府全力以赴促使国会通过关键性立法。副总统拜登星期二发布了一份措辞强硬的声明，警告说如果新的《削减战略武器条约》不能被批准的话，美国国家安全将面临严重后果。第二天，克林顿国务卿在美国参议院会场附近的一个走廊里再次强调了这一点。
"It is, to me, essential that we bring this [treaty] before the Senate. For anyone to think we can postpone it or avoid it is, I am afraid, vastly underestimating the continuing [nuclear] threat that is posed to our country," said Clinton.
她说：“我认为一定要在参议院提出这项条约。任何人如果认为我们可以推迟或避免这项条约，那就恐怕大大低估了我们国家所面临的持续的核威胁。”
Under the New START treaty, U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals would be reduced by as much as a third.
根据新的《削减战略武器条约》，美国和俄罗斯的核武库将削减多达三分之一。
The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Democrat John Kerry of Massachusetts, highlighted the treaty's benefits and the dangers posed by the status quo.
马萨诸塞州参议员、民主党人克里是参议院外交关系委员会主席。他强调了这项条约的好处以及目前的现状所带来的危险。
"Here we have a treaty that, for the first time, provides additional ability to count warheads on both sides," said Kerry. "Here we have a treaty that allows us to have a spot, [unannounced] random inspection to find out what the other side is doing. But for one year now, we have had no inspections, no American boots on the ground in Russia able to protect American interests."
克里说：“我们现在有了这样一个条约，让我们第一次有更多的能力来统计双方的核弹头，让我们可以随机抽查以弄清楚对方在做什么。但现在已经一年了，我们还没有做任何检查，在俄罗斯境内的美国人也不能保护美国的利益。”
But some Senate Republicans are less than enthusiastic about the treaty. Jon Kyl of Arizona issued a statement Tuesday, saying that the Senate's busy schedule does not permit full consideration of the treaty before the new Congress convenes in January.
但是一些参议院共和党人对这个条约的热情没有那么高。亚利桑那州参议员琼·凯尔星期二发表了一份声明，表示参议院目前紧张的日程无法保证在明年新国会就任之前对这个条约进行充分的考虑。
Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, said he favors arms control, but that he has concerns about New START treaty.
南卡罗来纳州的共和党参议员格雷厄姆说，他支持控制核军备，但是说他对于新的战略武器削减条约存在担忧。
"I think it would be good to have a treaty," said Graham. "But this treaty cannot infringe on the ability of the United States to deploy missile defense systems we think are vital to our national security or [that of] our allies. There is some language in the treaty that creates doubts in [Senate] members' minds. The second hurdle is modernization. Many Republicans, like myself, believe we would be better off with a treaty than without [one, but] - only if we modernize our nuclear deterrent force."
他说:“我想有一个条约是好的。但是这个条约不能限制美国部署我们认为对美国，或者对盟国的国家安全至关重要的导弹防御系统的能力。这份条约里的一些语言使一些参议员产生疑虑。另一个障碍是军备现代化。很多共和党人，包括我自己在内，都认为我们有一个条约比没有要好，但前提是我们要让我们的核威摄力量现代化。”
The Obama administration has signaled it intends to increase an $80-billion plan to upgrade and modernize America's nuclear infrastructure.
奥巴马政府已经透露准备为一项800亿美元的计划增加资金，这项计划旨在提升美国核设施使其达到现代化。
One of the few Republicans to support ratification of the New START accord is Indiana Senator Richard Lugar, who said he, too, supports nuclear modernization. He adds, however, that the United States can act to improve nuclear security by ratifying the treaty.
印第安纳州的参议员卢格是少有的几位支持批准这个新的战略核武器条约的共和党议员之一。他说，他同样支持核武库现代化。但是他补充说，通过批准这项条约，美国能够加强核安全。
"This is very serious. 13,300 [Russian] nuclear warheads aimed at us - our cities, our military installations - everything we have. Thirteen-thousand-three-hundred. Any one of those warheads could obliterate the city of Indianapolis, Indiana [The state's largest city]."
他说：“这非常重要。 现在有1万3千300枚俄罗斯核弹头对准我们，我们的城市，我们的军事设施，我们所有的一切。1万3千300枚核弹头，其中的任何一枚都可以毁灭我们的城市印第安纳波利斯。”
The U.S. Constitution mandates that treaties be negotiated by the executive branch and ratified by the Senate.
美国宪法规定，条约由行政机构进行谈判，由参议院批准生效。
Most analysts say ratification will be more challenging come January, when the Democrats' Senate majority will be greatly reduced.
很多分析人士说，到明年1月，要批准这份条约将会更加困难，届时民主党在参议院的多数将大大减少。 |