海湾伙伴寻求美国的安全保证（在线收听）

海湾伙伴寻求美国的安全保证

WHITE HOUSE— President Barack Obama will host a summit next week of the six Sunni-led member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council that is expected to focus on the Iran nuclear deal and Tehran’s involvement in conflicts from Yemen to Syria.

For leaders of the Gulf countries, scenes of Iranian-supported Houthi rebels overrunning Yemen’s capital, Sana'a, and driving out its U.S.-backed government this year were a sign of the rising threat from Iran, and they come to the summit seeking reassurances of U.S. backing.

对于海湾国家的领导人来说，今年，伊朗支持下的胡塞叛军占领也门首都萨那，并将美国支持下的政府驱逐，所有这些都表明来自伊朗威胁的加剧，于是他们来峰会上寻求美国支持的保证。

Obama’s argument is that negotiating a nuclear arrangement with Iran will, by itself, mean security for them.

奥巴马的观点是，与伊朗进行核安排的协商本身将意味着安定。

“I am convinced that if this framework leads to a final, comprehensive deal, it will make our country, our allies and our world safer,” he said.

“我相信，如果这个框架能促成最终的综合性协议，它将使得我们的国家、我们的盟友和我们的世界更加安全。”

But America’s partners in the Persian Gulf region are not so sure.

但美国在波斯湾地区的伙伴们就不这么确信了。

Yousef Al Otaiba, the United Arab Emirates' ambassador to the United States, said Gulf leaders want to upgrade their security relations with Washington.

阿联酋驻美国大使尤瑟夫·阿尔奥泰巴说，海湾领导人希望与华盛顿加强地区关系。

"We are looking for some form of security guarantee, given the behavior of Iran in the region [and] given the rise of the extremist threat," he said. "We definitely want a stronger relationship. In the past, we have survived with a gentlemen’s agreement with the United States about security. I think today we need something in writing; we need something institutionalized.”

“考虑到伊朗在该地区的行为以及极端分子威胁的加剧，我们希望寻求新的保证。我们当然希望加强关系，在过去，与美国关于安全方面的君子协定让我们得以存活，我想今天我们需要书面的保证，我们需要一些制度化的保证。”

Defense improvements

While no treaty will be signed, Obama does plan to talk with the Gulf leaders about building up their defense capabilities. It’s expected there will be some movement on speeding up weapons sales, setting up a regional defense system against Iranian missiles and planning joint military exercises.

由于不准备签署任何协定，奥巴马计划与海湾领导人谈论加强其防御能力的问题。预计将会有一些举动，比如加快武器出售、成立针对伊朗导弹的地区防御系统并计划进行联合军事演习。

But Obama said in an interview with The New York Times last month that the Sunni-led monarchies in the Gulf also must take into account another threat: the danger posed by some of their own people who are stifled by a lack of political outlets for their grievances. Obama said the biggest threat facing the Gulf Cooperation Council members may not be from Iran, but from internal dissatisfaction.

但上月在接受纽约时报的采访时，奥巴马说，海湾地区逊尼派领导的各君主国必须考虑另一个威胁：本国那些有委屈而没有政治发泄途径的人们带来的威胁。奥巴马说海湾合作委员会成员国面临的最大威胁可能并不是伊朗，而是国内的不满。

Obama’s criticism of the Gulf leaders' domestic policies, coupled with his outreach to Iran, has fueled their distrust.

奥巴马对海湾领导人国内政策的批评，以及他与伊朗的交往，都加剧了这些领导人的不信任。

So for the president, it is now important to make a visible show of support. Along with a dinner at the White House, the leaders will meet at Camp David, the presidential retreat in a mountain park outside Washington that traditionally has been used for intimate and historically important gatherings.

因此对于总统来说，现在重要的是明显地表现出支持。这些领导人们将在白宫进行宴会，然后在戴维营会谈，戴维营是位于华盛顿外一个山间公园的总统休养地，传统上一直用作亲密和历史性重要会谈的场地。

Derek Chollet, a former U.S. assistant secretary of defense, said that for Obama to be with the Gulf leaders at Camp David "has a special symbolism here in the United States and around the world. So it’s an important symbol of our commitment to the region.”

美国前助理国防部长德雷克·夏勒特称，对于奥巴马来说，与海湾领导人在戴维营会谈“对美国和全世界具有特殊的象征意义，所以这也象征着我们对该地区的承诺。”

The United States maintains 35,000 troops in the Gulf region and, like the Gulf nations, wants to stem Iran’s destabilizing actions there. While no one expects this week's summit to resolve all distrust and disagreements, there is hope it will be a first step toward rebuilding confidence in the partnership.

美国在海湾地区驻扎有3.5士兵，而且和海湾国家希望，也希望遏制伊朗在该地区的颠覆行为。虽然没有人预测本周的峰会能化解所有不信任和分歧，但大家仍希望这将是朝着重建伙伴关系信心的第一步。