VOA慢速英语2019 阿富汗总统:用塔利班领导人交换被绑架的教授

（单词翻译）

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced Tuesday that the Taliban will release two foreign professors in return for the government’s release of three Taliban leaders.

阿富汗总统加尼星期二宣布，将释放三名塔利班领导人以换取被塔利班绑架的两位外国教授。 

American Kevin King and Australian Timothy John Weeks were kidnapped in Kabul in August of 2016.

美国的凯文·金和澳大利亚的蒂莫西·约翰·威克斯于2016年8月在喀布尔被绑架。 

They were seized near the American University of Afghanistan where they had been teaching.

他们是在任教的阿富汗美国大学附近被抓获的。 

In January 2017, the Taliban released a video in which the two professors asked their families to pressure the United States to negotiate with the Taliban and to exchange prisoners for them.

2017年1月，塔利班发布了一段视频，视频中两位教授要求他们的家人向美国施压，要求美国与塔利班谈判，并交换囚犯。

The three released Taliban leaders include Anas Haqqani, the younger brother of the current chief of the Haqqani group, along with Haji Mali Khan and Abdul Rashid.

被释放的三名塔利班领导人包括哈卡尼集团现任领导人的弟弟阿纳斯·哈卡尼，以及哈吉·马里·汗和阿卜杜勒·拉希德。

President Ghani said that they were being released “conditionally in exchange” for the two professors.

加尼总统表示，他们将被“有条件地释放”，以换取这两位教授。 

Ghani said his government made the decision after discussion with international partners, especially the United States.

加尼说，他的政府是在与国际伙伴，特别是美国讨论之后做出这一决定的。 

He said it was a hard decision, but that the exchange helps the “talks with the Taliban and for reaching peace and stability.”

他说，这是一个艰难的决定，但这次交换有助于“与塔利班的谈判以及实现和平与稳定”。 

He said his government also received reports that the health of the Western hostages was failing.

加尼称，他的政府还收到报告说，西方人质的健康状况正在恶化。 

A Taliban spokesman told VOA he knew of Ghani’s announcement.

一名塔利班发言人对美国之音说，他知道加尼的声明。 

He added that the Taliban would offer reaction “only after we know for sure the (Taliban) prisoners have reached us.”

他补充说，塔利班“只有在我们确定(塔利班)囚犯已经联系到我们之后”才会做出回应。 

The American University of Afghanistan released a statement saying it was “encouraged to hear reports of the possible release of our two colleagues, Kevin King and Timothy Weeks.”

阿富汗美国大学发表了一份声明，称“听到我们的两名同事凯文·金和蒂莫西·威克斯可能获释的消息，我们很受鼓舞。”

People close to the Afghan president said the prisoners will be kept in a third country, possibly Qatar, until the Taliban releases the Western hostages.

阿富汗总统身边的人表示，在塔利班释放西方人质之前，这些囚犯将被关押在第三国，可能是卡塔尔。

The U.S. and Taliban have held talks in Doha, the capital of Qatar.

美国和塔利班在卡塔尔首都多哈举行了会谈。 

The release of hostages is expected to help restart these negotiations¹.

释放人质有望帮助重启谈判。 

The two sides appeared to be close to an agreement before the talks ended suddenly in September.

双方似乎已接近达成协议，而谈判却于9月突然结束。 

The U.S. special diplomat² to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, led those earlier negotiations.

美国驻阿富汗特别外交官扎尔迈·哈利勒扎德主导了早起的一些谈判。 

He is also credited with the negotiations leading to the release of these hostages.

他还因促成释放这些人质的谈判而受到赞扬。 

The Taliban refuses to talk directly with the Afghan government in Kabul.

塔利班拒绝在喀布尔与阿富汗政府直接对话。