U.S. President George Bush is in Slovenia for talks with the leaders of the European Union. The agenda includes economic and security matters.
美国总统布什正在斯洛文尼亚同欧盟领导人举行会谈。会谈的内容包括经济和安全议题。
These trans-Atlantic summits have traditionally focused on economic issues. And President Bush says he is eager to discuss money matters with the leaders of the European Union.
跨大西洋的首脑会议历来注重经济议题。布什总统说，他渴望同欧盟领导人讨论货币议题。
"The U.S. economy has continued to grow in the face of unprecedented challenges," he said. "We [have] got to keep our economies flexible; both the U.S. economy and European economies need to be flexible in order to deal with today's challenges."
他说：“美国经济虽面临前所未有的挑战，但仍在增长。我们必须保持经济的灵活性。为了应对当今的挑战，美国和欧洲经济都需要具有灵活性。”
He says he wants to talk to them about joint action to address the high cost of energy. He says currency issues will also be discussed, including concerns about the strength of the U.S. dollar.
他说，他想和欧盟领导人讨论如何采取共同行动解决高能源价格问题。他说，他们还将讨论货币问题，包括对疲软美元汇率的担忧。
"I will talk about our nation's commitment to a strong dollar," said President Bush. "A strong dollar is in our nation's interests. It is in the interests of the global economy."
布什说：“我将谈到，美国承诺保持美元的强势。美元坚挺符合美国的国家利益，也符合全球经济的利益。”
In recent years, these summits have also begun to tackle trans-Atlantic security concerns. And the White House says the talks at a castle just outside Ljubljana will cover efforts to ease tensions in the Balkans and bring peace to the Middle East.
最近几年，美欧峰会也开始着手应对跨大西洋的一些安全忧虑。白宫说，这次会晤在卢布尔雅那郊外一座城堡里举行，将涉及为缓解巴尔干地区紧张关系和实现中东和平所作的努力。
President Bush has made clear he is eager to talk about Iran's nuclear program. And as he left the White House, he left no doubt he wants to talk to the Europeans about stepping up their commitment to the young democracy in Afghanistan.
布什总统清楚地表示，他迫切希望讨论伊朗的核项目。布什在离开白宫时曾明确表示，他想对欧洲国家说，他们要为帮助阿富汗年青的民主政府承担更多义务。
"The countries I am going to have committed troops to Afghanistan, and I, of course, want to thank them, and remind them there is a lot of work to be done," he said.
他说：“我即将访问的国家向阿富汗派遣了部队。我当然要感谢他们，并要提醒他们，还有许多工作要做。”
White House officials say they expect no dramatic announcements following the president's talks with European Union leaders in Slovenia, which currently holds the six-month rotating E.U. presidency.
白宫有关官员说，他们预计，布什在斯洛文尼亚同欧盟领导人会谈之后不会宣布什么出人意料的消息。斯洛文尼亚目前担任欧盟轮值主席国，任期六个月。
In addition to Slovenia's prime minister, European Union participants in the talks will include European Commission President Jose Barroso, and E.U. security chief Javier Solana.
除斯洛文尼亚总理外，参见会谈的欧盟领导人还包括欧盟委员会主席巴罗佐和欧盟安全政策高级代表索拉纳。
Experts in trans-Atlantic relations say they have seen a shift in President Bush's attitude toward dealings with Europe that is bearing fruit at the end of his term.
John K. Glenn is head of the foreign policy program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
He says President Bush has made a concerted effort since his re-election in 2004 to move beyond differences with Europe over Iraq.
"And so we kind of set aside Iraq off the trans-Atlantic agenda as a way to look at these other issues because there is certainly enough to be done and enough pressure on both the United States and Europe," said Glenn.
After the summit talks with E.U. leaders, President Bush will head to Germany where he will mark the 60th anniversary of the implementation of the Marshall Plan and the Berlin airlift. He will then travel to Italy, France and the United Kingdom. |