白宫为布什出席奥运会的立场辩护

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White House officials say President Bush will go to the Beijing Olympics as a sports fan, and will raise U.S. concerns with Chinese leaders in private. The president's chief national security advisor says a boycott might do more harm than good.

白宫官员说，美国总统布什将以体育爱好者的身份去北京看奥运，并将私下向中国领导人提出美国关切的问题。布什的国家安全首席顾问表示，抵制奥运会的结果可能是弊大于利。

There have been calls for the president to boycott the Beijing Olympics, or at least declare his intention to skip the opening ceremonies.

最近出现了一些呼吁布什总统抵制北京奥运会的呼声，至少要布什总统宣布不参加奥运会开幕式。

But Mr. Bush - who personally told Chinese President Hu Jintao he would attend the games - is not backing down.

但是布什曾亲自对中国国家主席胡锦涛表示，他愿意出席本届奥运会，他并没有收回这一承诺。

He says he will go to the Beijing Olympics, although the exact timing of his trip to China is not expected to be made public until just before the games begin.

布什说，他将前往北京观看奥运会。不过，布什前往中国的具体时间安排，不到奥运正式开始之前估计将不会对外公布。

National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley says the president wants to use the opportunity to support the U.S. Olympic team, while raising human-rights concerns in closed-door talks with Chinese leaders. Hadley says that is the most effective way to bring about change - particularly on the fate of Tibet.

总统的国家安全顾问斯蒂芬.哈德利说，布什总统希望利用这次机会去为美国运动队加油，同时会在闭门会谈中向中国领导人提出对人权问题的关切。哈德利说，这是促成改变最有效的方式，特别是对西藏的命运而言。

"I think, unfortunately, a lot of countries say if we say that we are not going to the opening ceremonies we 'checked the box' on Tibet," said Stephen Hadley. "That is a cop out."

哈德利说：“我认为，不幸的是，很多国家说如果我们说我们不参加奥运会开幕式我们才算在西藏问题上打钩(表示支持)。其实那是逃避。”

During an appearance on the FOX News Sunday television program, Hadley said the United States has leverage with China, and the quiet diplomacy favored by the Bush administration can bring results.

哈德利星期天在福克斯电视新闻上接受采访时说，美国对中国有影响力，布什政府所倾向的无声的外交能够取得效果。

"If other countries are concerned, they ought to do what we are doing; [and that is] through quiet diplomacy send a message to the Chinese that this is an opportunity with the whole world watching to show that they take into account, and want, and are determined to treat their citizens with dignity and respect," he said.

哈德利说：“如果其它国家也表示关切，他们就应该像我们这样做，就是通过无声的外交给中国送去信息，告诉他们这是一个机会，全世界都在观看。他们应该显示出他们将考虑、希望并决心以尊严和尊重来对待本国公民。”

If President Bush does go to Beijing, he will become the first sitting U.S. president to attend an Olympics held on foreign soil.

如果布什总统最终前往北京，他就要成为美国首位在任期间出国观看奥林匹克运动会的总统。

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has already announced she will not attend the opening ceremonies. French President Nicholas Sarkozy has indicated he may do likewise. And the European Parliament is urging all EU members to stay away to protest the Chinese crackdown on Tibet.

德国总理默克尔已经宣布她不会参加开幕式。法国总统萨尔科齐也已暗示他会采取类似的举动。欧洲议会敦促所有欧盟成员抗议中国镇压西藏的行动，抵制奥运会开幕式。

Similar calls are coming from activists concerned about the bloodshed in Sudan's Darfur province, where China has a great deal of influence. American speed-skater Joey Cheek - who won a gold and a silver medal at the 2006 Winter Games - is involved with a group called Team Darfur.

关切苏丹达尔富尔流血冲突的活动人士发出了类似的呼吁。中国对苏丹达尔富尔问题有很大的影响力。美国速滑选手乔伊.齐克是赢得2006年冬季奥运会金牌和银牌的运动员，他参加了一个叫作达尔富尔团队的组织。

He told FOX News Sunday that he does not favor a total boycott of the games, but would like to see athletes make their views known in Beijing.

齐克在星期天播出的福克斯电视新闻节目上说，他不支持全面抵制奥运会的做法，但是他愿意运动员向北京表明自己的观点。

Cheek notes that International Olympic Committee rules strictly forbid any blatant political statements by competitors at Olympic venues. But he said athletes can be heard in other ways.

齐克指出，国际奥委会严格认定，禁止运动员在奥林匹克场合公开发表任何政治声明。但是他说，运动员可以通过其它途径来表达自己的声音。

"Specifically, I think our best bet, and really in an Olympic sense a legal bet, is to use our press conferences and our media," said Joey Cheek.

他说：“具体来说，我们最好的赌注，真正在奥林匹克意义上的法律赌注，就是利用我们的记者会和媒体。”

Cheek says any country that hosts the Olympics must be held to a higher moral standard - and that includes China.

齐克说，任何举办奥运会的国家都会被要求有较高的道德水准，当然也包括中国在内