布什为推迟公布叙核情报辩护

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U.S. President George Bush says last week's intelligence briefings to Congress on the Syrian-North Korean nuclear link were designed to send a message to North Korea.

美国总统布什说，上星期就叙利亚和北韩之间的核联系向国会所做简报的目的是向北韩发出一个信息。

The Bush administration's release of intelligence information alleging North Korean involvement in the construction of a suspected Syrian nuclear site came eight months after the site was destroyed by an Israeli air strike.

在叙利亚一个被怀疑的核设施被以色列的空袭摧毁八个月之后，布什政府才透露了据称北韩卷入这个核设施建设的情报。

Some critics of the administration have questioned why there was such a long delay in the release of the information.

一些批评布什政府的人们质问，为什么政府拖延如此之久才透露这个信息。

During a news conference dealing with a range of separate issues, the president said the disclosure was designed to send a tough message to North Korea at a time when Pyongyang is dragging its feet in providing a detailed declaration of its nuclear activities.

布什总统在白宫就范围广泛的问题举行了记者会。布什说， 在平壤迟迟拖延申报其核活动详细清单之际，透露这个消息意在向北韩发出强硬的信息。

"We wanted to advance certain policy objectives through the disclosures," said President Bush. "And one would be to the North Koreans to make it abundantly clear that we may know more about you than you think."

他说：“我们希望通过透露这个消息来推动某些政策目标，其中之一是非常清楚地告诉北韩人，我们对你了解的可能比你知道的更多。”

But Mr. Bush says there is a message for Syria and Iran as well - that nuclear proliferation in the Middle East can not be tolerated.

布什总统说，这也是向叙利亚和伊朗发出信息，中东地区的核扩散是不能容忍的。

"One of the things that this example shows is that these programs can exist and people don't know about them," he said. "And the Syrians didn't declare the program. They had a hidden program."

他说：“这个例子所表明的问题之一，就是这些核项目确实能够存在，人们对他们并不知情。叙利亚人并没有宣布这些核项目。他们在秘密发展核项目。”

Last week, the U.S. intelligence community released photographs and other information about the suspected Syrian nuclear facility during a series of closed door meetings with key U.S. lawmakers. Some of the details were also shared later with reporters.

上星期，美国情报部门在一系列的闭门会议中，向美国国会的一些重量级议员透露了有关怀疑是叙利亚核设施的照片和其它信息。

At his news conference, President Bush was asked, simply, why release the information now?

在今天的记者会上，布什总统被记者直截了当地问到，为什么现在公布这些信息。

He talked about the strategic and diplomatic importance of the delay. But the president also brought up the need to wait months after the Israeli attack to give tempers time to cool.

布什说，拖延公布这些信息是出于战略和外交的需要。不过，布什还提到，在以色列发动袭击几个月后才公布有关信息，是有时间冷静下来。

"We were concerned that an early disclosure would increase the risk of confrontation in the Middle East or retaliation in the Middle East," said Mr. Bush.

他说：“我们担心，过早地透露有关信息将增加中东对峙的风险，或中东的报复行动。”

American intelligence officials maintain the bombed Syrian nuclear site was nearing completion. But Syria denies U.S. allegations that it is operating a secret nuclear weapons program or receiving help from Pyongyang.

美国情报官员坚持认为，被炸毁的叙利亚核设施接近完工。但叙利亚否认美国所指称的正在秘密从事核武器的项目，叙利亚还否认得到了北韩的帮助。