Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told senators Wednesday that if Iran obtains a nuclear weapons capability, it would trigger an arms race in the Middle East and beyond. She said the Obama administration is pursuing a diplomatic track on the issue with Iran but within a specific time-frame.
美国国务卿希拉里.克林顿星期三对参议员说，如果伊朗获得制造核武器的能力，这将在中东和其他地区引发军备竞赛。她说，奥巴马政府正在争取通过外交途径解决这个问题，但是有一定的时间限制。
Clinton said the specter of a nuclear-armed Iran has created what amounts to an "alliance" among Israel and many Arab states, and she is hoping the shared interests will give impetus not only to diplomacy with Iran but also a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
克林顿说，一个拥有核武器的伊朗所形成的阴影使以色列和许多阿拉伯国家建立了一种“同盟”，她希望这种共同利益不仅能推动与伊朗的外交，而且还能解决以色列和巴勒斯坦的冲突。
In testimony before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee nominally devoted to the foreign affairs budget, she said the Obama administration - which promises diplomatic outreach with Iran - hopes to persuade the Tehran government that it will actually be less secure if it succeeds in what U.S. officials believe is an effort to acquire a nuclear weapons capability.
克林顿国务卿在为参议院拨款小组委员会上作证，一般情况下会议的重点是讨论外交事务的预算。但是，克林顿在会上说，奥巴马政府承诺扩展与伊朗的外交联系，希望说服伊朗政府，如果它像同美国官员相信的那样获得核武器能力，这实际上对伊朗来说是更加不安全。
"A nuclear-armed Iran with a deliverable weapons system is going to spark an arms race in the Middle East and the greater region. That is not going to be in the interests of Iranian security and we believe that we have a very strong case to make for that," she said.
她说：“伊朗拥有核武器以及运载武器的系统，将在中东和更大区域内引发军备竞赛，这将对伊朗的安全不利，我们认为我们有充分理由来证明这一点。”
Clinton spoke in response to questioning from Republican Senator Judd Gregg, who called Iran a terrorist state, and noted Washington comments earlier this week by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that preventing a nuclear Iran should take precedence over Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.
共和党参议员贾德.格雷格称伊朗是一个恐怖主义国家，并指出以色列总理内塔尼亚胡这个星期早些时候在华盛顿所发表的关于防止伊朗拥有核武器应该比巴以和平更为重要的评论。格雷格参议院在这个问题上提出了问题。
The Secretary of State, echoing remarks by President Obama to the Israeli leader, said diplomacy on both issues can proceed at the same time.
克林顿国务卿回答说，奥巴马总统对以色列领导人表示，这两个问题能够同时进行。
"The president made it clear that he is committed to preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons with all of the consequences that that would entail. But at the same time we cannot wait on the Palestinian-Israeli efforts regarding peace. So we think they have to proceed simultaneously," she added.
奥巴马总统明确表示，他决心阻止伊朗获得核武器，考虑到它会产生的一切后果。但与此同时，我们不能一味等待巴以努力解决和平问题。因此，我们认为两个问题必须同时进行。
Clinton said U.S. outreach to Iran, expected to begin after that country's presidential election next month, will be time-limited but refused to be more specific. President Obama indicated Tuesday the United States would pursue tougher sanctions against Iran if diplomatic efforts fail to make progress by the end of this year.
克林顿说，美国预计将在伊朗下个月总统大选后与他们联系，将有一定的时间限制，但她拒绝提供更具体的细节。奥巴马总统周二表示，如果到今年年底前外交手段没有取得进展，那么美国将对伊朗进行更严厉的制裁。
On another issue, Clinton told senators there is "no basis for believing" that any U.S. aid money going to Pakistan is being diverted to that country's nuclear program, as was suggested earlier this week in a report by The New York Times.
She also said the United States has gotten reassurances from the Pakistani government about the safety of its nuclear arsenal amid the threat posed by Taliban forces in that country's northern region.
She said the Obama administration, which had been concerned about Pakistan's willingness to take on Islamic extremists, now believes it is making an "all-out" effort to take back areas recently seized by the Taliban. |