朝鮮在冬奧會上臨時取消朝美高層會談
白宮官員透露，朝鮮在預(yù)定會談前不到兩小時取消了一次朝美高層會談。這次會談如果舉行，將是這兩個國家近20年來最高級別的會談。
According to US officials, North Korea “dangled” an opportunity for Mike Pence, US vice-president, to meet a high-level political delegation from Pyongyang following the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in South Korea earlier this month.
據(jù)美國官員透露，朝鮮曾拋出一個機會：在冬奧會開幕式結(jié)束之后，讓美國副總統(tǒng)邁克•彭斯(Mike Pence)會晤平壤的高級別政治代表團。
But hours before Mr Pence was to meet Kim Yo Jong — the influential sister of North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un — the reclusive regime backed out in a move US officials said was a result of Mr Pence’s tough rhetoric.
但在預(yù)定的彭斯和金與正(Kim Yo Jong)——朝鮮最高領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人金正恩(Kim Jong Un)的有影響力的妹妹——的會晤之前不到兩小時，這個與世隔絕的政權(quán)取消了會晤安排。美國官員們表示，這是彭斯強硬言論的一個結(jié)果。
“As we’ve said from day one . . . the administration will stand in the way of Kim’s desire to whitewash their murderous regime with nice photo ops at the Olympics,” said Nick Ayers, chief of staff to the vice-president.
“正如我們在第一天所說的……本屆行政當(dāng)局不會配合金氏用奧運會上的漂亮照片來粉飾其血腥政權(quán)的愿望，”美國副總統(tǒng)的幕僚長尼克•艾爾斯(Nick Ayers)表示。
“Perhaps that is why they walked away from the meeting or perhaps they were never sincere about sitting down.”
“也許這就是為什么他們?nèi)∠麜睿只蛩麄儚膩頉]有誠意坐下來談。”
North Korea has a long history of cancelling meetings and walking away from negotiations as a means to increase its leverage.
朝鮮一貫傾向于取消會議和從談判桌起身離開，將其作為一種增加己方籌碼的手段。
The revelation adds a new twist to the Olympic diplomacy, which has seen Mr Kim attempt to exploit the differences in strategy between allies Washington and Seoul.
這事為奧運外交增添了一個新的情節(jié)轉(zhuǎn)折;金正恩試圖在本屆冬奧會上利用華盛頓與首爾之間在戰(zhàn)略上的分歧。
Under President Moon Jae-in, South Korea is seeking to engage with North Korea in the hope that dialogue can eventually lead to negotiations on the regime’s nuclear weapons programme.
文在寅(Moon Jae-in)總統(tǒng)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的韓國尋求與朝鮮接觸，希望對話最終能夠引向圍繞朝鮮核武計劃的談判。
The US, meanwhile, has adopted a “maximum pressure” approach to North Korea in an attempt to coerce it to abandon its arsenal of atomic weapons.
與此同時，美國對朝鮮采取“最大壓力”姿態(tài)，力求迫使其放棄核武。
Before the games’ opening ceremony on February 9, there were tentative hopes that Mr Pence could meet Ms Kim on the sidelines, despite the US vice-president’s hardline rhetoric about the regime.
在2月9日舉行冬奧會開幕式之前，外界曾萌生微弱希望：盡管美國副總統(tǒng)對平壤政權(quán)撂下狠話，但彭斯可能會在場外會晤金與正。
En route to South Korea, Mr Pence announced new sanctions on the North. He then met defectors who had escaped the isolated country.
在前往韓國途中，彭斯宣布對朝鮮實施新的制裁。然后，他會晤了逃離朝鮮的脫北者。
“North Korea would have strongly preferred the vice-president not use the world stage to call attention to those absolute facts or to display our strong alliance with those committed to the maximum pressure campaign,” Mr Ayers added.
“朝鮮本來強烈希望副總統(tǒng)不要利用世界舞臺來喚起世人對這些絕對事實的關(guān)注，不要展現(xiàn)出我們與那些致力于最大壓力努力的人們之間的堅強同盟，”艾爾斯補充說。
The US state department said: “We will not apologise for American values, for calling attention to human rights abuses.”
美國國務(wù)院表示：“我方不會為美國的價值觀、為提請世人關(guān)注侵犯人權(quán)行為道歉。”
During the opening ceremony, Mr Pence ignored Ms Kim and the rest of the delegation from Pyongyang, which included Kim Yong Nam, the 90-year-old ceremonial head of state.
在冬奧會開幕式上，彭斯對金與正以及平壤代表團的其余成員視若不見，包括90歲的朝鮮名義國家元首金永南(Kim Yong Nam)。
The display, while later criticised and mocked in western and South Korean media, was lauded by US officials for not giving face to the “most oppressive regime on earth”.
這一姿態(tài)盡管后來在西方和韓國媒體上受到批評和嘲弄，但受到美國官員稱贊，稱不給“地球上最壓制的政權(quán)”面子。
The Pyongyang officials pulled out of the meeting the next day.
1 次日平壤官員取消了會晤。
