阿拉伯10國支持美國打擊極端分子

The Obama administration moved yesterday to secure military and financial backing from Arab leaders, European allies and the US Congress for the president’s pledge to defeat Islamist extremists in Iraq and Syria.

奧巴馬(Obama)政府昨日開始爲其擊敗伊拉克和敘利亞境內伊斯蘭主義極端分子的承諾，爭取阿拉伯領導人、歐洲盟友以及美國國會的軍事和資金支持。

Ten Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia, announced during a visit by John Kerry, secretary of state, that they would join the US in a strategy to destroy the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, Isis, “wherever it is, including in both Iraq and Syria”. The US received early support from France and Germany, and the UK, although contradictory statements in London left the full extent of Britain’s participation unclear. Administration officials briefed members of Congress ahead of a vote, expected next week, to approve extra funding to train so-called moderate Syrian rebels to help in the fight.

以沙特阿拉伯爲首的10個阿拉伯國家在美國國務卿約翰•克里(John Kerry)到訪期間宣佈，他們將加入美國的行列，共同推進摧毀“伊拉克和黎凡特伊斯蘭國”(Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant，簡稱ISIS)的戰略，“不管它在哪裏，包括伊拉克和敘利亞”。美國早先得到了法國、德國和英國的支持，儘管倫敦發佈的自相矛盾的聲明令外界不太明白英國的參與程度。奧巴馬政府官員在預計下週進行的投票之前向國會議員們做了簡報，該投票將批准撥出更多資金，訓練所謂的敘利亞溫和派叛軍，讓他們在戰場上出力。

The administration believes that it needs clear political backing at home and the support of Sunni regimes in the region to prevent Isis from framing the conflict as a clash between Islam and the west. “We [cannot] take the place of Arab nations in securing their region,” Mr Obama said in a speech to the nation on Wednesday. He said the US would broaden its air attacks against Isis forces in Iraq and was ready to conduct air strikes in Syria.

奧巴馬政府認爲，要阻止ISIS將這場衝突框定爲伊斯蘭與西方之間的鬥爭，美國需要國內明確的政治支持，也需要中東地區遜尼派政府的支持。奧巴馬週三在對全國發表演講時表示：“我們（不能）取代阿拉伯國家在保護他們所在地區方面的作用。”他表示，美國將加大對伊拉克境內ISIS武裝分子的空中打擊，並已準備好深入敘利亞境內實施空襲。

John Boehner, the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, indicated that he would support a vote to fund the Syrian rebels but added that he and his members were not yet satisfied about the administration’s explanation of its strategy. “An F16 is not a strategy – air strikes alone will not accomplish what we are trying to accomplish,” he said.

美國衆議院共和黨領袖約翰•博納(John Boehner)表示，他將投票支持爲敘利亞叛軍提供資金，但他補充稱，自己和其他共和黨議員對奧巴馬政府關於其戰略的解釋仍不滿意。他說：“一架F16戰鬥機不是戰略，僅靠空襲將無法實現我們試圖實現的目標。”

US officials are also looking for practical backing from Arab states including money, access to bases and overflight permission for aircraft. Saudi Arabia has agreed to host an expanded training initiative – a sign that some of the ill feeling between the US and its Saudi allies over the past year has dissipated.

美國官員也在爭取獲得阿拉伯國家的實際支持，包括資金、基地使用權以及允許飛機飛越它們的領空。沙特同意舉辦一個擴大的培訓項目，這個跡象表明，美國和沙特盟友之間在過去一年裏的一些不和已經消散。

Washington was boosted when France said it would join air strikes against militants. France, which has given arms to Kurdish forces fighting Isis, would also give military and humanitarian help to the new Iraqi government, said Laurent Fabius, foreign minister.

法國表示將加入打擊ISIS武裝分子的空襲，這讓華盛頓大受鼓舞。法國外交部長洛朗•法比尤斯(Laurent Fabius)表示，法國已向與ISIS作戰的庫爾德人提供了軍火，還會向伊拉克新政府提供軍事和人道主義援助。

France has adopted a hawkish stand against Isis and the Syrian regime of president Bashar al-Assad. German politicians indicated that they would also help the effort, potentially supplying surveillance aircraft.

法國對ISIS和敘利亞巴沙爾•阿薩德(Bashar al-Assad)政權採取了強硬的立場，德國政界人士表示，他們也將爲打擊ISIS提供幫助，有可能提供偵察機。