Efforts Underway to Defuse Rising Indo-Pakistani Tension
美三议员访问南亚欲缓和印巴关系
A trio of U.S. senators is in South Asia, one of several sets of high-level foreign visitors trying to defuse rising tension between India and Pakistan following the Mumbai terror attacks. Meanwhile, India is renewing demands Pakistan hand over wanted fugitives.
三位美国参议员目前在南亚访问。他们跟其他到南亚地区访问的外国高层人士一道正在试图缓解印度和巴基斯坦之间因为孟买恐怖袭击而正在加剧的紧张关系。另一方面,印度再次要求巴基斯坦交出受到通缉的逃犯。
Three senior U.S. senators who met with top Indian-government officials say emotions are running high following the Mumbai terror attack.
三名美国资深参议员会晤印度政府高层官员后表示,孟买恐怖袭击之后印度愤怒的情绪在日益高涨。
Senator Joseph Lieberman told reporters the feelings expressed during their meeting Tuesday with prime minister Manmohan Singh and external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee are understandable.
参议员约瑟夫.利伯曼对记者说,他们完全理解印度总理辛格和外交部长慕克吉同他们会晤时表达的痛苦和愤怒情绪。
"They are clearly both full of pain and anger as I am sure most of the people of India are. And, as I can tell you, most of the people of America are," Lieberman said.
利伯曼说:“他们显然充满了痛苦和愤怒,我肯定绝大多数印度人都有同感。我能告诉你们的是,绝大多数美国人也抱有同样的心情。”
The U.S. lawmakers are among those visiting the region to offer condolences and perhaps engage in some shuttle diplomacy. The senators are to meet top Pakistani government and military leaders in Islamabad later in the week.
美国国会议员和其它国家的高层官员都在南亚访问,向印度方面表达哀悼之情,并或许进行某种穿梭外交努力。议员们定于这个星期晚些时候在伊斯兰堡会晤巴基斯坦政府和军方高级领导人。
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa is also in the Indian capital. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice arrives Wednesday. Russian president Dmitri Medvedev is due Thursday.
阿拉伯联盟秘书长穆萨目前也在印度首都。美国国务卿赖斯星期三抵达新德里。俄罗斯总统梅德韦杰夫定于星期四抵达新德里。
Senator John McCain says Mumbai's attackers meant to put India and Pakistan at each others' throats again.
"One of the objects of the terrorist attack and this act of outrage is to try to provoke confrontation between Pakistan and India," McCain said. "And I know that this [Indian] government is committed to not letting that happen."
麦凯恩说:“这次恐怖分子袭击和暴行的目的之一,是试图挑起印度和巴基斯坦两国之间的对抗。但是我知道印度政府承诺不让这个目的得逞。”
But the senators say New Delhi, which is blaming "elements" in Pakistan for the attack, needs answers from Islamabad.
不过三位参议员说,新德里需要从伊斯兰堡得到答案。印度政府指责巴基斯坦的“一些情报人员”制造了这次袭击。
Senator Lindsey Graham says he feels there is now a "real strong resolve" among India's leaders to make needed changes to bolster the country's internal security.
参议员林赛.格雷厄姆说,他觉得目前印度领导人有“非常强烈的决心”,希望做出必要的改变,加强国内安全。
India and Pakistan, which both have nuclear weapons, now face their worst state of relations in six years. The two have gone to war against each other three times since their independence in 1947.
Foreign minister Mukherjee acknowledges the India-Pakistan peace process is jeopardized. He has handed Pakistan's top envoy here a formal diplomatic note - known as a demarche - with the names of about 20 individuals India wants Pakistan to extradite.
印度外长慕克吉承认,印度和巴基斯坦之间的和平进程目前面临危机。他向巴基斯坦驻印度大使递交了一封正式外交照会,也就是外交行动方针,上面有大约20个人的名单,希望巴基斯坦将这些人引渡到印度。
"The demarche asks the arrest and hand-over of those persons who are settled in Pakistan and who are fugitives of Indian law," Mukherjee said.
慕克吉说:“这份照会要求巴基斯坦逮捕名单上的人,并将他们移交给印方,这些人住在巴基斯坦,他们是印度法律通缉的在逃犯。”
Those on the list include the infamous Mumbai crime kingpin, Dawood Ibrahim, and Maulana Masood Azhar - a Pakistani Muslim cleric who, in 1999, was freed from an Indian prison, in exchange for passengers on a hijacked Indian airliner.
Ibrahim is considered India's most wanted man. His organization is suspected of involvement in a 1993 bombing in Mumbai that left 250 people dead. Indian media reports say there is also official suspicion some of his underlings may have provided support to the terrorists who struck last week.
Azhar leads the group Jaish-e-Mohammad, which is believed to support Muslim separatists in the part of disputed Kashmir which is under Indian control.
India initially gave Pakistani officials such a list six years ago and says it never received an adequate response.
印度最初在六年前向巴基斯坦官员递交了这样一份名单,但是印度表示,他们从来没有从巴基斯坦方面得到过满意的答复。
Top Pakistani government officials promise cooperation with India to determine responsibility for the attack on Mumbai. But Islamabad rejects any allegations of complicity, blaming "non-state actors", which Pakistan says it is also battling and says India must provide specific information of those it accuses of taking part.
巴基斯坦政府高级官员保证跟印度配合,确定是谁制造了孟买袭击。不过,伊斯兰堡否认关于巴基斯坦卷入这次袭击的指称,认为这是“非国家行为者”所为,而巴基斯坦也在打击这些人。伊斯兰堡说,印度必须提供他们指控参与孟买袭击人的具体情报。