美国看到埃及民主的种子，但继续暂停援助

U.S. Sees Seeds of Egyptian Democracy, but Withholds Aid

美国看到埃及民主的种子，但继续暂停援助

Washington — The Obama administration is maintaining a delicate balance in its response to the upheaval that has accompanied Egypt’s third different government since 2011. Administration officials testified in front of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee October 29 to explain the policy and its objectives.

华盛顿——面对埃及围绕自2011年以来的第三个新政府出现动乱，欧巴马政府在应对中保持着微妙的平衡。政府官员10月29日在美国众议院对外事务委员会（House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee）作证，解释相关政策及目标。

Violence used by the ruling military government against protesting crowds in July and August demanded a “recalibration of our assistance to Egypt, ” said Beth Jones, acting assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs. The administration decided to withhold delivery of several major weapons systems, while still maintaining military-to-military relationships and programs supporting activities such as entrepreneurship, democracy-building, and women and minority rights.

负责近东事务的助理国务卿（Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs）贝丝•琼斯（Beth Jones）说，执政军人政府在7月和8月对抗议群众动用暴力，据此我们需要“调整我们对埃及的援助”。政府决定暂不交付数项主要的武器系统，但依然保持军事关系以及与支持创业、民主建设和妇女及少数民族权利等活动相关的项目。

“The decision represents an effort to ensure that assistance continues and is directed toward core U.S. interests, including helping Egypt secure its borders and the Sinai, prevent the flow of weapons into Gaza that threaten Israel, and counter terrorists seeking to attack U.S. and Egyptian interests, ” Jones testified to the committee.

琼斯在向该委员会作证时表示：“这项决定代表确保继续提供援助，且援助符合美国的核心利益，包括帮助埃及确保其边界和西奈（Sinai）的安全，防止威胁以色列的武器流入加沙（Gaza），并打击企图攻击美国和埃及利益的恐怖主义分子。”

The action is intended to help Egypt sustain its important position in regional security while still sending a message that progress must be made toward the peaceful transition to a democratic state that Egyptians want.

这一做法旨在帮助埃及维持其在区域安全中的重要地位，同时仍然传递一个讯息，即必须朝埃及人民希望的民主国家进行和平过渡的方向迈进。

Some lawmakers questioned whether the suspension of military aid could endanger an important U.S. relationship, but an international development official said economic and civil society aid programs are the “cornerstone of the bilateral relationship.” Deputy Assistant Administrator Alina Romanowski of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) said most programs engaging youth, civil society and private enterprise proceed without interruption.

一些议员问到暂停军事援助是否会危及一个对美国很重要的关系，但美国国际开发署（U.S. Agency for International Development）副助理署长艾林纳•罗曼诺夫斯基（Alina Romanowski）说，经济和公民社会援助项目是“双边关系的基石”。这位国际发展官员表示，大多数涉及青少年、公民社会和私营企业的项目仍在进行，没有中断。

USAID has just authorized another $60 million investment in the Enterprise Fund, Romanowski said, a vehicle to promote development of the private sector and small business. The agency is also following through on improving community health programs, private schools, voter education and women’s empowerment, she said.

罗曼诺夫斯基说，美国国际开发署刚刚批准为旨在推动私营行业和小企业发展的创业基金（Enterprise Fund）追加投资6000万美元。她表示，该机构还在继续推动改进社区健康计划、私立学校、选民教育和妇女赋权的项目。

“While we will continue to provide support for the Egyptian people, we are not moving forward with the $260 million cash transfer that was to be provided directly to the government of Egypt and the $300 million in loan guarantees that were under consideration for fiscal year 2014, ” Romanowski told the committee.

罗曼诺夫斯基告诉该委员会：“尽管我们将继续向埃及人民提供支持，但我们暂停发放原来要直接提供给埃及政府的2.6亿美元的现金汇款和正在审议中的2014财年的3亿美元的贷款担保。”

Egypt’s military seized power from President Mohamed Morsy after massive protests erupted against the policies Morsy pursued in the year after his election in June 2012. The government is following a road map toward a new democratic government, viewed as a positive sign in the Obama administration’s analysis. Economic policy reforms to allow greater opportunity and reduce corruption must be part of that transition, Jones said.

在爆发了反对总统穆罕默德•穆尔西（Mohamed Morsy）在2012年6月当选后的一年中所采取的政策的大规模抗议行动后，埃及军人政府从穆尔西手中夺取了政权。现政府正在遵循一个朝着一个新民主政府迈进的路线图，欧巴马政府的分析认为这是一个积极的迹象。琼斯表示，创造更多机会和减少腐败的经济政策改革必须是这一过渡的一部分。

“It will be critical for the interim government and its successor to take measures to ease the concerns of the business community and domestic and international investors, and to attract new economic opportunities for Egyptians, ” Jones said.

琼斯说：“对于临时政府和其继任者来说，至关重要的是采取措施减轻商界及国内外投资者的顾虑，并为埃及人民吸引新的经济机会。”

While the administration’s “recalibration” of the aid relationship has suspended delivery of new weapons systems, it has not diminished the strength of the military-to-military relationship. Interaction between the U.S. and Egyptian military officials is “continuous” and “daily, ” said Derek Chollet, the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, who was also on the administration panel before the committee.

尽管政府对援助关系的“调整”暂停了新武器系统的交付，但它并未削弱两军关系。在众议院委员会作证的政府小组另一成员、国防部负责国际安全事务的助理部长德里克•乔列特（Derek Chollet）表示，美国和埃及军队官员之间的互动在“持续”并“每天”都在进行。

“The closeness that we have developed over the three decades of working together has paid great dividends in the last several months in which we’ve needed those close contacts and close relationships, ” Chollet said.

乔列特说：“我们在过去30年一道工作中建立的密切关系，在过去数月当我们需要这些密切联系和密切关系时，得到了巨大收效。”

While some committee members questioned whether decades of U.S. foreign assistance to Egypt has yielded much progress, Jones reminded the members that 30 years ago, when she joined the State Department, Egypt was in the sphere of the Soviet Union. The close military-to-military relationship of mutual training and communication wasn’t even imagined, she said.

在一些委员会成员问及美国对埃及数十年的援助是否带来很大进展时，琼斯提醒他们，当她在30年前进入国务院时，埃及还在苏联的势力范围之中。她说，当时甚至无法想象会有共同训练和通信方面的密切军事关系。