口译时事：美国暂停部分对埃及援助 埃及谴责称不会投降

　　The United States said on Wednesday it would withhold deliveries of tanks, fighter aircraft, helicopters and missiles as well as $260 million in cash assistance from Egypt's military-backed government pending progress on democracy and human rights.

　　The decision, described by U.S. officials, demonstrates U.S. unhappiness with Egypt's path since its army on July 3 ousted Mohamed Mursi, who emerged from the Muslim Brotherhood to become Egypt's first democratically elected leader last year.

　　But the State Department said it would not cut off all aid and would continue military support for counterterrorism, counter-proliferation and security in the Sinai Peninsula, which borders U.S. ally Israel.

　　It also said it would continue to provide funding that benefits the Egyptian people in such areas as education, health and the development of the private sector.

　　The split decision illustrates the U.S. dilemma in Egypt: a desire to be seen promoting democracy along with a need to keep up cooperation with a nation of strategic importance because of its control of the Suez Canal, its 1979 peace treaty with Israel and its status as the most populous nation in the Arab world.

　　"We will ... continue to hold the delivery of certain large-scale military systems and cash assistance to the government pending credible progress toward an inclusive, democratically elected civilian government through free and fair elections," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.

　　Mursi's supporters and security forces have repeatedly clashed since the Islamist president's ouster, including on Sunday, one of the bloodiest days since the military took power, with state media reporting 57 people dead.

　　Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington, said it was doubtful Washington would gain any leverage over Cairo by withholding the aid.

　　"It may make some Americans feel better about the U.S. role in the world, but it's hard to imagine how it changes how the Egyptian government behaves," he said.

　　On September 24, President Barack Obama said Washington would continue to work with the interim authorities in Cairo, but faulted them for anti-democratic moves such an emergency law and restrictions on opposition parties, the media and civil society.

　　Speaking to reporters in a conference call, U.S. officials said the United States would withhold deliveries of M1A1 Abrams tank kits made by General Dynamics Corp, F-16 aircraft produced by Lockheed Martin Corp, and Apache helicopters and Harpoon missiles built by Boeing Co.

　　But they stressed the withholding of such big-ticket military items was not meant to be permanent and would be reviewed periodically along with Egypt's progress on human rights and democracy.

　　U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called Egyptian army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to tell him about the U.S. decisions, speaking for about 40 minutes in what one U.S. official described as a friendly conversation.

　　Hagel stressed the importance of the U.S.-Egypt relationship but also underscored the U.S. view that Egypt needed to make progress toward democracy.

　　On August 14, Egypt's military-backed authorities smashed the two pro-Mursi sit-ins in Cairo, with hundreds of deaths, and then declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew. Many of the Brotherhood's leaders have been arrested since.

　　Officials at Lockheed Martin, Boeing and General Dynamics Corp declined comment, referring queries to the U.S. government or military offices handling the weapons sales.

　　The United States has struggled to define its policy toward Egypt since the 2011 popular revolution that toppled its longtime ally, Hosni Mubarak, an authoritarian who had ruled the country for three decades.

　　While the United States tried to work with Mursi, announcing in March that it would give Egypt $250 million in economic aid, including $190 million in budget support, it became disenchanted with his failure to enact economic reforms or govern in a manner that brought the opposition into the political discourse.

　　Egypt for decades has been among the largest recipients of U.S. military and economic aid because of its 1979 peace treaty with U.S. ally Israel, which agreed as a result of the pact to withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula it seized from Egypt in 1967.

　　The United States has long provided Egypt with about $1.55 billion in annual aid, including $1.3 billion for the military.

　　据英国媒体报道，美国国务院10月9日表示，鉴于埃及目前的民主和人权状况，美国政府决定暂停部分对埃及军方所支持政府的援助，包括交付坦克、战斗机、直升机和导弹，以及2.6亿美元的经济援助。埃及谴责美方做法，表示不会向“美国压力投降”

　　***美国暂停援助

　　美国官员称，美国国防部长哈格尔与埃及国防部长塞西进行了40分钟“非常友好”的通话，向其通报了这一决定。美国国务院女发言人普萨基在一份声明中 说：“我们将继续暂停交付一些大型军事装备和对埃政府的现金援助，直到其朝着通过自由和公正的选举产生包容性的民主文职政府的方向取得可信的进展。”

　　埃及外交部发言人巴德尔•阿卜德拉蒂(Badr Abdelatty)说，美国做出错误的决定;而埃及不会“向美国的压力投降，将继续其民主路线”。

　　美国多名官员认为，这一决定表明美国对埃及自今年7月3日罢免前总统穆尔西后所走的路线表示不满。据悉，自从穆尔西被罢免总统后，他的支持者和埃及 安全部队已多次发生冲突，最近的一次冲突发生在10月6日，那是自军方掌权后最为激烈的一次暴力活动，埃及官方媒体报道，有57人在冲突中丧生。

　　不过美国国务院表示，不会取消对埃及的所有援助，并将继续提供对该国用于反恐、反大规模杀伤性武器扩散和维护西奈半岛安全的军事支持。据悉，西奈半岛位于埃及北部，与以色列接壤，是著名的旅游胜地，每年都有大量以色列人前往度假。

　　美国国务院还强调，美政府决定与埃及政府保持关系，与该政府和埃及人民议会合作，继续在卫生、教育和私营产业等直接惠及埃及民生的领域提供援助。此前，美国每年向埃及提供约15亿美元的援助，其中包括13亿美元军援。

　　普萨基表示，“我们决定维持与埃及政府的关系，同时重新评估我们对埃及的援助，以最大程度推进我们的利益。”

　　美国当局看似矛盾的决定表明美国在埃及正处于两难困境，它渴望促进埃及民主发展，同时需要与这个具有重要战略地位的国家保持合作。埃及掌握着对苏伊士运河的控制权，还是阿拉伯世界人口最多的国家。

　　***专家分析

　　位于华盛顿的战略与国际问题研究中心中东项目主任乔恩•奥尔特曼说，他并不看好美国暂停部分援助对埃及进行制约的方式，称该举措是否能有效果“令人怀疑”。他说：“这或许能让一些美国人对美国在世界的角色感觉好点，但很难想象它如何改变埃及政府的行为。”

　　9月24日，美国总统奥巴马称，华盛顿政府将继续与埃及过度政府合作，不过对他们反民主的行动表示谴责，比如出台的紧急状态法和对反对党、媒体和公民社会的限制规定。

　　美国多名官员在一次电话会议上对记者说，美国将暂时拒绝交付M1A1阿布拉姆斯坦克装备、F-16战机、阿帕奇直升机以及“鱼叉”导弹。不过他们强调拒绝交付这种大型军事项目并不是意味着今后再不会提供这些援助，他们会定期对埃及的民主和人权进行检查，然后做出调整。

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