When President Barack Obama and his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy jointly commemorate the 65th anniversary of the allied landing in Normandy, France on June 6 they will turning the page on another war that bitterly divided the two countries - in Iraq.
奥巴马总统和法国总统萨尔科奇明天将共同纪念二战盟军在诺曼底登陆65周年。与此同时，两位领导人将翻过让两国分裂的另一场战争、也就是伊拉克战争的历史。
The last major D-Day celebration five years ago marked one of the lowest points in U.S.-French relations in years. But much has changed between the United States and France - including their leaders. Here is our report from the Normandy town of Sainte Mere Eglise.
5年前，在上一次庆祝盟军反攻日登陆的时候，美法关系处于多年来的最低点。但是，自那时以来，发生了很多变化，其中包括两国都有了新总统。
Sainte Mere Eglise residents remember American parachute landings
This tiny town is gearing up for D-Day celebrations that will be taking place across France's bucolic Normandy region. But memories of the allied landing 65 years ago are on display here year round - on the church steeple for example, where the figure of an American parachutist still hangs. Those memories are also still fresh for residents like Andree Auvray, who was 18 years old when American troops parachuted into Sainte Mere Eglise.
诺曼底的圣梅尔·埃格利斯镇在为纪念反攻日进行准备。在小镇教堂的尖顶上，一个美军伞兵的画像依然悬挂在那里。对安德雷·奥弗雷来说，盟军反攻恍如昨日，记忆犹新。美军空降兵降落圣梅尔·埃格利斯时，奥弗雷18岁。
Auvray said it was an incredible experience. She and other Sainte Mere residents cared for wounded soldiers. French and Americans lived together in fear the Nazis would return. They did, but the Americans recaptured Sainte Mere Eglise.
奥弗雷说，当时的情景令人难以置信。她和镇里其他居民都帮助救护伤员。法国人和美国人住在一起，害怕纳粹军队会攻回来。纳粹军队确实回来过一次，但美军又重新夺取了圣梅尔-艾格里斯。
D-Day carries a special resonance in Normandy - even for the younger generation, like 35-year-old Stephan Cachard. This year's commemoration is particularly special, not only because it marks the 65th anniversary, but because President Barack Obama will be in Normandy June 6 to commemorate it.
反攻日在诺曼底具有特别的意义，即使对35岁的斯戴方·卡沙这样的年轻一代来说也是这样。今年的65周年纪念更是不同寻常，因为奥巴马总统要来参加纪念活动。
Cachard says Mr. Obama offers the face of America that Europeans like - that of initiative, of courage, of hope for a better world.
卡沙说，奥巴马总统向欧洲人展示了欧洲人喜欢的美国面孔，这就是积极，勇敢，期望世界变得更好。
President Obama's visit opens new chapter in French-American relations
This is not Barack Obama's first trip to France as president. In April, he attended a NATO summit in the eastern city of Strasbourg. And he met French President Nicolas Sarkozy last July as a candidate for the White House.
这不是奥巴马以总统身份第一次访问法国。他今年4月曾在法国东部城市斯特拉斯堡出席北约组织峰议。去年7月，作为总统候选人，他在法国会晤了萨科奇总统。
But Mr. Obama's visit to the Normandy beaches not only commemorates Europe's liberation from Nazi Germany but it also opens a new chapter in a long and sometimes rocky relationship.
奥巴马总统这次访问诺曼底不仅是纪念欧洲从纳粹德国统治下解放出来，而且也是开启美法两国长期的、有时候是坎坷的关系的新篇章。
In 2004, former U.S. president George Bush stood side-by-side with then-French president Jacques Chirac in Normandy to mark D-Day's 60th anniversary. It came as US-French relations were at a low point. The year before Washington had led another invasion - into Iraq, to topple long-time dictator Saddam Hussein.
2004年，前总统布什在诺曼底跟时任法国总统希拉克并肩纪念诺曼底登陆60周年。当时，美法关系处于低潮。此前一年，美国带头攻打伊拉克，推翻了独裁者萨达姆。
French opposition to Iraq war angered many Americans
And France led international opposition to the Iraq war, which angered many Americans. France and other Europeans were also staunchly against the US detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and the Bush administration's stance on global warming.
法国带头反对伊拉克战争，让美国人感到愤怒。法国等欧洲国家也坚决反对美国在古巴关塔那摩湾设立的拘留中心，反对布什政府在气候变暖问题上的立场。
For a while, the classic French fry got a new name in the United States - "freedom fries." Americans boycotted brie cheese and Bordeaux wine.
在一段时间里，美国人爱吃的法式炸薯条French fries也在美国被改称为“自由薯条”freedom fries。美国人也抵制法国奶酪和波尔多葡萄酒。
Analyst Jacques Mistral says ties between the two countries plunged to lows not seen in years. Mistral, who is an expert in US-French relations at the French Institute of International Affairs in Paris said relations between the two governments soon improved. But public perception was another matter.
法国巴黎国际事务研究所的美法关系专家雅克·米斯特拉说，当时，两国关系跌至多年来的最低点。虽然不久就出现改善，但是，公众的看法则没有很快发生变化。
"There has always been a big difference in French minds and more generally in the European public opinion between the appreciation of the president and his policy, and the feeling of people toward America," said Jacques Mistral. "The former president Bush has never been appreciated on this side of the Atlantic for many reasons."
米斯特拉说：“在法国人以及欧洲公众心目中，欣赏一位总统和他的政策跟人们对美国总的感觉很不一样。由于多种原因，法国和欧洲从来都不喜欢前总统布什。”
But the times - and the leaders - have changed. France's Sarkozy, who took office in 2007, is a self-proclaimed Americanophile. And Mr. Obama, who took office in January, has vowed to pull U.S. troops from Iraq - and to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center by next January. Jacques Mistral.
但是，时代变了，领导人变了。萨科奇总统2007年上台，他自称是一个爱美国的人。奥巴马总统今年1月上任，他表示要从伊拉克撤军，明年1月关闭关塔那摩拘留中心。
"Naturally, the election of Barack Obama is a major change in terms of perception and of political relationship," he said. "The candidate Barack Obama was extremely popular in Europe and in every European country, Barack Obama exemplifies a renaissance of America - [the] America that everyone loves that is completely in line with its best ideals."
奥巴马当选，自然给人们对美国的看法以及美国跟欧洲国家的政治关系带来了重大变化。奥巴马标志着美国的复兴，标志着所有的人都喜欢的、符合美国最高理想的美国。
Paris and Washington still have major policy differences - on ways to fight the financial crisis, for example, or whether to send more European troops to Afghanistan. But, Mistral says, perception counts for a lot.
巴黎和华盛顿现在依然有一些重大的政策分歧。例如，如何应对金融危机，是否应当向阿富汗增派欧洲部队，等等。但是，米斯特拉说，人们对美国的看法很重要。
In Sainte Mere Eglise, Francine Duchemin is looking forward to Mr. Obama's visit to Normandy.
在圣迈尔·埃格利斯，弗朗辛·杜舍芒盼望奥巴马总统访问诺曼底。
"Everyone is very happy to see Mr. Obama and we can feel the relationship between the French government and the United States [is] much better than it was during the 60th anniversary," said Francine Duchemin. "But my feeling is that was just politics. People really love and venerate the Americans."
他说：“大家都很高兴看到奥巴马先生。我们可以感到法国和美国的关系比诺曼底登陆60周年的时候好多了。但是，我的感觉是，那都是政治。我们这里的人真的是喜欢并敬重美国人。”
So as Americans and French mark D-Day, they will also be celebrating a relationship that has weathered a few bad patches - and, many hope, is stronger as a result.
在美国和法国纪念反攻日的时候，也在庆祝经历了不少坎坷的两国关系。很多人希望，经历坎坷之后，两国关系会更加牢固。 |