VOA双语新闻 Rice Says UN Cannot Survive as Vital Force（在线收听）

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday the United Nations cannot survive as a vital force in international politics if it does not reform. She spoke in support of the Bush administration's controversial nominee for Ambassador to the U.N., John Bolton, who has been a critic of the world body.

美国国务卿赖斯星期五表示，联合国如果不改革，便无法作为国际政治中一个至关重要的力量而继续存在。赖斯表态支持布什总统提名的约翰·博尔顿出任驻联合国大使。博尔顿一直对联合国持批评态度，布什提名他出任驻联合国大使后引起了争议。

Much of the opposition to Mr. Bolton stems from his blunt criticism of the United Nations, including a quip several years ago that the U.N. could get along fine without the top ten floors of its New York headquarters, which house its top officials.

很多人反对博尔顿出任驻联合国大使，是因为他过去发表了很多对联合国直言不讳的批评。几年前，他曾讽刺说，如果联合国纽约总部高层官员办公的最上面的10层楼都没有了的话，联合国可以照样运作。

But in a Washington address Friday to newspaper editors, Ms. Rice said despite the comments, Mr. Bolton believes the United Nations is important to U.S. foreign policy, to help mobilize against terrorism, trafficking in persons, weapons proliferation, and other global problems.

不过，赖斯星期五在华盛顿对报纸编辑演讲时说，尽管博尔顿讲过那些话，但是博尔顿还是相信，联合国在美国的外交政策方面、在帮助动员反恐、打击人口走私和武器扩散，以及解决其他全球问题方面，都是很重要的。

Ms. Rice said that with the United Nations facing scandals over the Iraq oil-for-food program and the conduct of peacekeepers in Africa, it in her words "cannot survive as a vital force in international politics if it does not reform its organizations, secretariat and management practices."

赖斯指出，鉴于联合国面临“石油换食品”计划和一些驻非洲的维和人员行为不检的丑闻，联合国“如果不改革它的各个组织、秘书处以及管理方式，就不能作为国际政治中至关重要的力量而继续存在”。

The Secretary said the kind of candidness shown by Mr. Bolton is needed, if the problems of the world body are to be addressed and dealt with successfully. "You know, it's fine to say all nice things about the United Nations. As important an institution as it is, one has to say there are some things that are not so great about the United Nations right now. And everybody recognizes that, and we've got to fix it. And so his commitment to me and to the President is that he is going to be a force for what is always needed in the United Nations: American leadership to update and reform and strengthen this great institution," she said.

赖斯说，如果要成功地处理和解决联合国这个全球机构存在的问题，博尔顿所表现出的那种坦诚是必要的。赖斯说：“对联合国大讲好话当然可以。虽然联合国是很重要的机构，但是现在要说的是，联合国有一些不是那么好的事情。每个人都意识到这一点，我们必须去解决这些问题。所以，他对我和对总统的承诺是，他将成为联合国内部永远需要的一种力量：更新、改革和加强美国在这个重大机构内的领导作用。”

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is to vote next Tuesday on the Bolton nomination. Its hearings on the issue were marked by charges that Mr. Bolton, as Under-Secretary of State for arms control, bullied intelligence analysts he perceived to be impeding his policy goals.

国会参议院外交关系委员会下星期二将就是否批准博尔顿的提名进行表决。在博尔顿的提名听证会上，有人指责说，他在担任负责军备控制事务的国务次卿时，粗暴地对待那些他认为阻碍了自己政策目标的情报分析人员。

The Foreign Relations Committee is split along partisan lines over Mr. Bolton, and groups of former government officials from past Republican and Democratic administrations have also lined up to either support or oppose the nomination.

参议院外交关系委员会以党派为界，共和党人支持博尔顿，民主党人则对他不满。另外，过去共和党和民主党政府的一些前政府官员也纷纷表态，有的支持他，有的反对他。

The petitioning began last month when some 60 former diplomats and officials urged the committee to reject Mr. Bolton, who they said consistently opposed efforts to improve U.S. national security through arms control.

上个月，大约60名前外交官和官员敦促外交关系委员会驳回博尔顿的提名。他们说，博尔顿一贯反对通过军备控制来改善美国国家安全的努力。

Friday, the State Department distributed a group endorsement of Mr. Bolton from nearly 150 former cabinet members and officials, including five former Secretaries of State from Republican administrations.

星期五，美国国务院公布，近150名前政府内阁成员和其他官员支持博尔顿的提名，其中包括前共和党政府的5位国务卿。

Absent from the list was Secretary of State Rice's immediate predecessor, Colin Powell, under whom Mr. Bolton served in the arms control post.

支持名单上没有赖斯的前任鲍威尔。在博尔顿负责军备控制事务时，鲍威尔是他的顶头上司。

A vote against Mr. Bolton by just one Republican member of the Foreign Relations Committee, which has ten Republicans and eight Democrats, could block the nomination.

参议院外交关系委员会有10位共和党人和8位民主党人，只要有一位共和党人投反对票，就可以封杀博尔顿的提名。

However, the second-ranking Senate Democrat, Dick Durbin, said Thursday he expects Mr. Bolton will ultimately be confirmed.

不过，参议院第二号民主党人、助理少数党领袖迪克·德宾星期四说，他预计博尔顿将最终将能过关。