Powell Defends Bush Middle East Policy

（单词翻译）

David Gollust

Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday that President Bush has not pre-judged any final-status issues in Middle East peace negotiations² despite his commitments this month to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Mr. Powell held talks with Qatar's foreign minister at which he raised U.S. concerns about news coverage³ by the Qatar-based Arabic TV network al-Jazeera. President Bush's endorsement⁴ of Mr. Sharon's plan for "disengagement," from the Palestinians and the associated exchange of letters at their April 14 White House meeting, have drawn⁵ widespread Arab criticism.

But Mr. Powell says the president's statements, that it would be unrealistic to expect an Israeli withdrawal⁶ to pre-1967 borders, and that Palestinian refugees would be expected to have the right of return only to a Palestinian state, were only taking into account "obvious realities."

The secretary made the comments at a joint⁷ press appearance with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin⁸ Jassim al-Thani, who raised his own concerns about the course of U.S. Middle East policy.

Mr. Powell said the understandings with Mr. Sharon have not changed the president's commitment to the international "road map" to peace, or to his June 2002 policy statement calling for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"[The] president clearly wanted to also take account of obvious realities we all recognize with respect to right of return, and final borders have to be aligned⁹ in accordance with the reality on the ground, as mutually agreed upon between the parties. So the president has not moved one step away from his vision [but] acknowledged reality on the ground. And we hope that in the course of our conversations with our guest here today as well as other Arab leaders, they will come to understand the president's position more clearly."

For his part, Sheikh al-Thani said there do appear to be positive elements to the Sharon plan, which is to start with an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. But he said there are many other points that need clarification.

"We have no doubt about the seriousness with which the United States takes this issue, and especially President Bush, about the Israeli Palestinian conflict. There are some positive signs in the plan which Sharon gave. But there are many other things which we don't understand up until now. We support any effort to bring the land of the Palestinians back to them and also we hope that in any negotiation¹ in the future that we see also with the Israeli party and the Palestinian party and the United States, so the negotiation could be on a mutual¹⁰ basis."

Mr. Powell and his Qatari counterpart spoke¹¹ after an initial round of talks in a bilateral¹² "strategic dialogue," in which the secretary said he renewed U.S. complaints about news coverage from Iraq and elsewhere of the Qatar-based Arabic TV network al-Jazeera.

Administration officials have repeatedly accused al-Jazeera of anti-American incitement¹³. They have also criticized the network for airing unedited versions of tapes from Osama bin Laden¹⁴ and other terrorists leaders threatening the United States and its allies with attacks.

Mr. Powell did not elaborate on the discussion about al-Jazeera, but said U.S.-Qatari friendship is such that they can discuss what he termed "difficult issues that intrude¹⁵ in that relationship."

He said the two sides were having "very intense" discussions about the matter which would continue over the next couple of days.

Qatari officials have in the past fended¹⁷ off U.S. complaints about the network, citing a desire to promote a free press.

注释:
commitment [kE5mitmEnt] n. 许诺，承诺
Qatar [5kB:tEr] n. 卡塔尔，阿拉伯东部一国家
al-Jazeera 半岛电视台，自称是中东地区最为独立自由的媒介
endorsement [in5dC:smEnt] n. 背书
unrealistic [5QnriE5listik] adj. 不切实际的
pre-1967 borders 1967年前的巴以临时边界
Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim al-Thani 谢赫·哈马德·本·贾西姆·阿勒萨尼
road map美国公布的"中东和平路线图"计划
accordance [E5kC:dEns] n. 一致
clarification [7klArifi5keiFEn] n. 澄清
counterpart [5kauntEpB:t] n. 对手方相应的人
bilateral [bai5lAtErEl] adj. 双边的
strategic dialogue 战略对话
secretary [5sekrEtri] n. 书记，大臣，这里指美国国务卿鲍威尔
incitement [In5saitmEnt] n. 煽动
air [ZE] vt. 宣扬
unedited [5Qn5editid] adj. （新闻等）未经审查的
Osama bin Laden 奥萨马·本·拉登
elaborate [I5lAbEreit] vt. 详细阐述
intrude [in5tru:d] vi. 强行进入
fend¹⁶ off v. 挡开，回避