Senior Obama administration officials on Monday defended U.S. handling of the Iranian election crisis amid criticism that President Barack Obama has not been forceful enough on the issue. The White House said it has seen no justice in Iran's crackdown on protesters after the president's weekend call for an end to violence by Tehran authorities.
奥巴马政府的高级官员星期一为对伊朗选举危机的因应方式进行辩解。有人批评奥巴马总统，说他对这个问题的处理力度不够。白宫说，奥巴马总统周末呼吁德黑兰当局停止暴力，而伊朗没有任何理由对抗议者继续进行镇压。
Administration officials are reiterating their call for a fair and non-violent resolution of the Iranian election conflict, while stressing their determination not to allow Tehran to make the United States a "foil" for the country's political conflict.
美国政府官员再次呼吁以公正和非暴力的方法解决伊朗选举导致的冲突，并强调说，绝不允许德黑兰把美国作为这场政治冲突的替罪羊。
The administration has taken a measured approach to the crisis, although President Obama stepped up the level of U.S. rhetoric on Saturday amid televised scenes of chaos on Tehran's streets. He called on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its people and to respect universal rights of assembly and free speech.
美国政府对伊朗的选举危机采取了审慎反应。不过随着电视画面展现德黑兰街头的骚乱，奥巴马总统星期六使用了更强烈的言辞。他呼吁伊朗政府停止一切针对伊朗人民的暴力手段和不公正行为，应该尊重集会自由和言论自由等普世权利。
On Monday, the White House said it is clear from subsequent events that "justice has not been achieved."
白宫星期一说，从发生的一系列事件中可以看出，没有实现公正。
Officials at the State Department have expressed concern that a more vigorous response would fuel already frequent Iranian charges that the United States is meddling in the crisis.
美国国务院的官员曾表示担心，更强烈的反应会对伊朗政府说美国干预危机的指称火上浇油。
U.S. critics, among them former Republican Presidential candidate John McCain, have said the White House has been too timid, with McCain saying the response is a "betrayal" of America's founding principles.
包括总统大选的共和党候选人麦凯恩参议员在内的批评人士说，白宫过于拘谨。麦凯恩说，白宫做出的反应是对美国建国原则的背叛。
However, at a press event with Georgia's Foreign Minister, Grigol Vashadze, Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg rejected the notion that the administration is "pulling its punches" on Iran. He said the president's cautious stance has bipartisan support.
不过，美国副国务卿斯坦伯格在与格鲁吉亚外交部长瓦沙泽举行的记者会上反驳了据称奥巴马政府在处理伊朗问题时缩手缩脚的说法。他说，奥巴马总统的谨慎立场得到美国两大政党的支持。
"I think there have been a number of very influential voices -- both Republican and Democrat -- who've recognized, as the president has said, that this is an issue that's about the Iranians and for the Iranians to decide. The president made very clear over the weekend that we're concerned about the violence. We think it is very important that if this is going to be an issue for the Iranians to decide, then all the voices should be heard -- that the process should be fair and that the people should be allowed to express their opinions. And I think this is not a partisan issue," he said.
斯坦伯格说：“我想，共和党和民主党的若干有影响人士都发出了声音。他们认识到，正如奥巴马总统所说，这是一个有关伊朗人民的问题，应该由伊朗人民来决定。总统在周末明确表示，我们对暴力感到担忧。我们认为，至关重要的是，既然这是由伊朗人民决定的问题，那么就应该让所有人表达意见、应该有公正的程序、应该允许人民表达他们的意见。我认为这不是一个党派之争的问题。”
Steinberg was standing in at the Georgia event for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who had surgery last Friday on her broken right elbow.
斯坦伯格代替克林顿国务卿与格鲁吉亚外交部长举行新闻发布会。克林顿国务卿摔伤右臂，上星期五做了手术。
He confirmed that the injury has forced Clinton to cancel plans to attend two multi-lateral meetings this week at which the Iran crisis is likely to be a major issue -- a G-8 foreign ministers meeting in Trieste, Italy and an informal conference of OSCE foreign ministers on the Greek island of Corfu.
斯坦伯格证实，由于摔伤，克林顿国务卿不得不取消参加本星期两个多边会议的计划。一个是在意大利的里雅斯特举行的八国集团外长会议，另一个是在希腊科孚岛举行的欧洲安全与合作组织的非正式外长会议。伊朗危机很可能是这两个会议的主要议题之一。
But Clinton has been active in telephone diplomacy on Iran, calling, among others, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, whose government, like the United States, has been accused by Iranian authorities of meddling in the crisis.
克林顿国务卿针对伊朗问题开展了积极的电话外交活动，包括给英国外交大臣米利班德通电话。与美国一样，英国政府也被伊朗当局指称干预选举危机。
At a news briefing, State Department Spokesman Ian Kelly said the Iranian government is looking for scapegoats in a situation it has created. "What you've seen in Iran is what you've been seeing all along, and that's using us as a kind of foil -- using the 'Great Satan,' using the U. S. as a way to justify a policy or gain public support. We don't want to get into a polemic on this. I think what you saw over the weekend was a very strong statement by the president, setting out these fundamental principles that our country was founded on. And these are the kind principles that we are going to stand up for," he said.
Kelly declined under questioning to say whether the administration might be reconsidering its policy of seeking dialogue with Tehran on Iran's nuclear program and other issues. But he stressed that the U.S. focus now is not on the bilateral relationship, but on what is happening on Tehran's streets. |