Saudi Arabia is refusing a U.S. request to increase overall oil production as a way to lower record high energy costs. In Saudi Arabia where U.S. President George Bush met Friday with King Abdullah.
沙特阿拉伯拒绝美国提出的通过增加石油产量来降低创历史新高的能源价格的要求。美国总统布什星期五在沙特阿拉伯与阿卜杜拉国王会晤。
It is the second time in four months that President Bush has come to Saudi Arabia asking King Abdullah to boost overall oil production to help drive down U.S. gasoline prices.
这是美国总统布什在四个月里第二次访问沙特阿拉伯。他请求阿卜杜拉国王增加石油产量，帮助降低美国的石油价格。
And it is the second time since January that the president got the same answer: No.
这也是自1月以来布什的要求第二次遭到拒绝。
Soaring gasoline prices in the United States are partly to blame for the country's economic slowdown.
美国石油价格飞速上涨是美国经济发展速度减缓的部分原因。
Speaking to reporters before this trip, President Bush said he would tell the Saudi king that U.S. gas prices are even higher now than they were in January. He said demand is so high relative to supply that there is just not a lot of excess capacity.
布什在访问沙特阿拉伯之前对记者说，他会告诉阿卜杜拉国王，现在美国的石油价格甚至比1月份的价格还要高。他说，需求量比供给量要高很多，以至于没有多少多余的产油能力。
Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi says supply and demand are in balance. He told reporters in Riyahd that the country did boost output by 300,000 barrels a day last week but only to make up for declining production from Venezuela and Mexico.
沙特阿拉伯石油大臣阿里.阿尔耐米说，石油的供应量和需求量是平衡的。他在利雅得对记者说，沙特阿拉伯的确在上星期每天增加了30万桶石油产量，但仅仅是补上委内瑞拉和墨西哥减少的石油产量。
Al-Naimi says Saudi Arabia is already investing $90 billion over the next four years to increase production and is doubling the capacity of a refinery in Texas. "So how much more does Saudi Arabia need to do to satisfy the people who are questioning our oil practices or our oil policy?" he asked.
阿尔耐米说，沙特阿拉伯正在为今后四年增加石油产量、并使在美国德克萨斯州的一家炼油厂的炼油能力增加一倍而投资900亿美元。阿尔纳米说：“沙特阿拉伯还要做多少才能满足那些怀疑我们的石油生产运作和我们的石油政策的人？”
U.S. National Security Adviser Steve Hadley says Saudi officials told President Bush that they do not believe an overall increase in production would dramatically reduce prices at U.S. pumps.
美国国家安全顾问哈德利说，沙特阿拉伯官员对布什总统说，他们认为增加石油总产量不会显著降低美国的石油价格。
Hadley says Saudi officials argue that higher prices are driven more by uncertainty in the global market and the lack of refining capacity for the quality of oil most readily available. Hadley says the Bush Administration will take that explanation to its own analysts to see if it conforms with what they think.
哈德利说，沙特阿拉伯官员认为，石油价格的上涨更多地是由于人们对全球市场走向不确定，以及缺少提炼最容易获得的那种质量的石油的能力。哈德利说，布什政府将把沙特阿拉伯官员的这种解释转达给美国分析人士，看看这种解释是否和他们的想法一致。 |