A delegation of five U.S. members of Congress to Rwanda said Tuesday they were deeply impressed by both the nation's people and its political leadership, and vowed to advocate for the nation upon their return to the U.S. The members of Congress spent three days in the East African country and spoke after meeting with its president, Paul Kagame.
The delegation was led by New York Congressman Gregory Meeks, who said that he and his peers have been highly impressed during their visit to Rwanda.
这个代表团由纽约州议员米克斯率领。米克斯表示，他和同僚们在卢旺达访问期间都留下了深刻的印象。
"Those of us from our delegation here, we are just tremendously pleased with what we have seen over the last three days and with our meeting with President Kagame. We look forward to working with him in the United States House of Representatives as well as with President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton," he said.
他说：“代表团的所有成员对过去三天访问期间的所见所闻，以及与总统卡加梅的会面都十分满意。我们希望在回到众议院后与总统先生合作，以及与奥巴马总统和克林顿国务卿合作。”
Congressman Meeks promised to try to help President Kagame in partnering with the U.S. once returning home.
米克斯众议员承诺回到美国后，将帮助卡加梅总统建立与美国的伙伴关系。
"I think the President was clear, he is not asking the United States for aid, he is asking the United States for partnership - in economic development, in trade, in investment from our private sector. And we are going to do everything we can when we get back to the United States to assist the President in that manner," he said.
他说：“我认为卡加梅总统十分明确，他并不是向美国寻求援助，而是寻求与美国的伙伴关系，包括在经济发展、贸易、私营企业投资等方面。我们回到美国后将尽全力在这些方面协助卡加梅总统。”
The delegation also included Congressional members from the U.S. states of Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, and Ohio.
代表团成员还包括来自乔治亚州、德克萨斯州、北卡罗来纳州，以及俄亥俄州的国会议员。
Congressman Meeks applauded President Kagame for his "great leadership" in turning the nation around after being devastated by the genocide of about 800,000 of its people 15 years ago.
米克斯称赞说，由于卡加梅总统的“卓越领导”，15年前蒙受80万人种族灭绝灾难的卢旺达变成了今天这样一个繁荣的国家。
The Congressman specifically praised the small nation's improvement of its health-care and education systems, and said President Kagame was helping to bring stability to the region through the renewal of relations with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
米克斯议员特别称赞了这个东非小国在健康医疗和教育系统方面的改进，并表示卡加梅总统与刚果民主共和国重建外交关系，帮助给该地区带来稳定。
Rwanda was centrally involved in a multi-year transnational conflict centered in the Democratic Republic of Congo that ended in peace deals in 2002. Rwanda invaded DRC territory to go after Hutu militiamen, many of whom were behind the 1994 genocide.
卢旺达在一场发生在刚果共和国的跨国冲突中扮演主要角色。这场冲突于2002年以签署和平协议而告终。卢旺达入侵刚果领土以打击胡图激进分子，这些激进分子中的很多人参与了1994年的种族屠杀。
Critics have accused President Kagame of trying to exploit the region's instability to gain control of the rich mineral deposits across the border in the Congo.
一些批评人士曾经指责卡加梅总统利用这一地区的不稳定而试图控制邻国刚果的丰富的矿产资源。
Mr. Kagame has held the nation's top seat since 2000, but has been viewed by many as the country's real leader since his Rwandan Patriotic Front ended the ethnic massacres in 1994. The country has since undergone an impressive rebuilding effort to bring the nation together and grow its economy.
卡加梅在2000年就任国家最高领袖，但早在他领导的卢旺达爱国阵线在1994年结束种族残杀时，他就被很多人认为是真正的国家领袖。从那以后，卢旺达经历了令人瞩目的重建努力，将国家团结起来并且发展经济。
Rwanda's economy has averaged a more than five percent annual growth during the past decade, and grew more than 11 percent last year.
过去十年来，卢旺达的经济以每年超过5%的增长率成长，去年则增长了超过11%。
The U.S. Congressional delegation next heads to Harare, Zimbabwe.
美国国会议员代表团一行人接下来将前往津巴布韦的哈拉雷进行访问。 |