U.S. President Barack Obama met on Tuesday at the White House with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The session helped set the stage for the upcoming London meeting of the world's 20 leading developed and emerging economies.
美国总统奥巴马星期二在白宫与英国首相布朗会晤。这次会谈是为了世界20个主要发达国家和新兴经济体即将在伦敦举行的会议奠定基调。
Since taking office, President Obama has focused on the ailing U.S. economy - pushing a stimulus package through Congress and taking steps to repair damage to the financial sector.
奥巴马总统就职以来，将精力主要集中在陷于困境的美国经济，推动刺激计划在国会得以通过，以及采取措施修复受损的金融部门。
But as he sat down with Britain's Gordon Brown, Mr. Obama stressed the international nature of the economic crisis. He said countries must work together to get the global economy back on track.
但是奥巴马在和英国首相布朗会谈时强调了经济危机的国际性。他说，各国必须共同努力，使全球经济回到正轨。
Mr. Obama added that the process will not be easy or quick.
奥巴马补充说，这个过程既不会轻而易举，也不能一蹴而就。
"It's going to be sort of full of fits and starts in terms of getting the mess cleaned up. But it's going to get cleaned up. And we are going to recover. And we are going to emerge more prosperous, more unified and, I think, more protected from systemic risk, having learned these lessons, than we were before," he said.
“清理这个烂摊子将是个断断续续的漫长过程。但是我们会把它理清。我们也将复苏。而且，我认为，在接受这些前所未有的教训后，我们将脱胎换骨，变得更加繁荣、更为团结、在避免系统性风险方面得到更多保护。”
Prime Minister Brown made specific mention of the need to overhaul the world's financial regulations and institutions - an issue he likely will raise when he hosts the London summit on April 2.
布朗首相则具体指出，需要对世界金融条例和机构进行全面整顿。这也可能是他在4月2日主持伦敦峰会时将会提出的议题。
"A bad bank anywhere can affect good banks everywhere. So we've got to root out the problems that exist in other parts of the world as well, set principles with the banking system for the future and make sure that the banks subscribe to lending agreements where they actually increase the lending that is available to citizens in every country," he said.
他说：“任何地方的某个坏银行都会影响到所有地方的好银行。所以我们还要根除世界其他地方存在的问题，为未来的银行系统制定规则，确保银行同意贷款协议，在每个国家都切实提高可提供给民众的贷款额。”
Gordon Brown is the first European leader to meet with President Obama at the White House. As the two men sat down for talks, reporters asked whether Britain still has a special place in U.S. foreign policy.
布朗是奥巴马总统入主白宫后来访的第一位欧洲领导人。在两人坐下来交谈时，记者们问到，英国在美国的外交政策中是否仍然占据特殊地位。
President Obama said it always has and always will.
奥巴马总统说，一向如此并将永远如此。
"I think this notion that somehow there is any lessening of that special relationship is misguided. Great Britain is one of our closest, strongest allies and there is a link, a bond there, that will not break. And I think that's true not only on the economic front, but also on issues of common security," the president said.
“我认为，有关这种特殊关系减弱的提法多少是被误导了。英国是我们最亲密和最坚定的盟友之一，而且我们之间的契合关系是牢不可破的。我认为，这不仅表现在经济方面，也体现在共同的安全议题上。”
Mr. Obama made specific mention of Britain's role in Afghanistan and Iraq. The situation in Afghanistan will be the central issue when NATO holds its 60th anniversary summit on the French-German border in April, immediately after the economic talks in London.
奥巴马特别提到了英国在阿富汗和伊拉克所起到的特殊作用。阿富汗局势将是紧接着伦敦经济会谈之后，于4月在法德边境举行的北约第60届峰会的中心议题。 |