A senior U.S. official says American and Russian negotiators meeting in Geneva are closing in on a deal for a key nuclear disarmament treaty, and the United States Senate would likely ratify it.
美国的一名高级官员说，在日内瓦举行会议的美国和俄罗斯谈判人员已接近于就重要的削减核军备条约达成一项协议，而且美国参议院很可能会批准这项条约。
U.S. Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Ellen Tauscher expressed confidence that despite deep partisan divisions in Congress, the Senate would pass the successor to the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, although she gave no timeframe.
负责军备控制和国际安全事务的美国国务次卿埃伦.陶谢尔表示，尽管美国国会内存在深刻的党派分歧，但是她相信参议院会通过取代1991年战略武器削减条约的新条约，然而她没有说出具体时间。
"We do have a polarized atmosphere in Washington, but I think that on issues of national security, we have always found that we can find a very broad concensus of Democrats and Republicans [who] will work together to advance those issues. I expect on this issue we will find that same sweet spot," she said.
陶谢尔说：“我们在华盛顿固然存在两极分化的政治氛围，但是我认为在国家安全问题上，我们一向发现民主党人和共和党人之间能够达成广泛的一致意见，两党都齐心协力地推动那些议题取得进展。我预计在这个问题上，我们也将看到同样良好的两党一致状况。”
Tauscher spoke at a conference in Paris gathering former diplomats and arms negotiators and aimed at pushing for global nuclear disarmament. U.S. and Russian negotiators resumed talks in Geneva this week aimed to wrap up a new nuclear disarmament treaty to replace START, which expired in December.
In July, President Barak Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev agreed to reduce their respective numbers of nuclear warheads to between 1,500 and 1,675 under a new treaty.
奥巴马总统和俄罗斯总统梅德韦杰夫去年7月同意，新条约要规定把各自的核弹头削减1500枚到1675枚。
In remarks later to VOA, Tauscher predicted the two sides would reach a deal very soon. "We are working hard toward an agreement. It is clear we have the major elements of an agreement in place and now we have to do the hard work of conforming the treaty and some other small negotiations," she said.
陶谢尔在随后向美国之音发表的评论中预计，两方将很快达成协议。陶谢尔说：“我们正努力达成一项协议。显然我们已经有了现有一项协议的主要部分，现在我们要做的困难工作是让这项协议的内容符合另外一些小型谈判的精神。”
Separately, Tauscher cautiously welcomed an announcement by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that Tehran is ready to send its enriched uranium overseas in exchange for nuclear fuel. Iran previously rejected a U.N.-mediated proposal along those lines. Tauscher said the Obama administration is analyzing the Iranian president's latest remarks.
此外，陶谢尔对伊朗总统艾哈迈迪内贾德所作的宣告表示谨慎的欢迎。艾哈迈迪内贾德说，德黑兰当局准备把本国的浓缩铀送往国外，以换取核燃料。伊朗先前曾拒不接受由联合国斡旋之后的提议。陶谢尔说，奥巴马政府正在分析伊朗最近的这番评论。 |