VOA慢速英語:US Cancels Hundreds of Millions in Aid to Egypt

11 October, 2013

From VOA Learning English, this is In the News.

Egypt is criticizing an American decision to cancel hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the country. An Egyptian Foreign Ministry official says the decision is wrong. He says his country is prepared to carry out what he called a political road map, which includes plans for elections next year.

The Obama administration said this week it was suspending the delivery of major weapons to Egypt because of delays in progress toward an inclusive government.

The decision followed an investigation of events since the Egyptian military ousted President Mohamed Morsi three months ago. President Obama has also decided to suspend $260 million in assistance to the government that followed the ouster.

Mr. Obama has said there can be no business as usual following the overthrow of Mr. Morsi. American officials say this suspension is a way of expressing that point. But it is far from a complete break in American assistance.

The United States will continue to support programs that it says directly help the Egyptian people. It will also continue financing programs that support what it calls "vital security objectives." These include help aimed at securing Egypt's borders.

Jonathan Broder is with Congressional Quarterly, a publication that reports on American politics. He says Mr. Obama has been under pressure for not taking stronger steps after the ouster of Egypt's democratically-elected leader.

"There is the image that President Obama wants to present to the world as someone who stands up for human rights and for democracy. And the images of Egyptian soldiers killing protesters on the streets of Cairo is a very negative one in the United States. And there's pressure on him from human rights organizations and from some in Congress to suspend the aid."

American officials say Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel discussed the move in a telephone call on Wednesday with Egypt's Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. During the call, the two men were said to have re-stated the importance of their countries' relations in guaranteeing Middle East security.

Since July, the Egyptian military has led a campaign against suspected militants and supporters of Mr. Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. At least 1,000 people have been killed. Most were Islamists.

In recent days, more violence was reported, with attacks on security forces and clashes between protesters and police. Some Egyptians predict it only lead to increased use of military force.

Emad Shahin is a public policy professor with The American University in Cairo. He thinks military leaders are preparing for a final battle with their long-time enemies.

"They think that the plan by which they managed to charge, to mobilize the anger of the people against Morsi's rule and administration and so on, has gained a momentum and it is really time to break down the Islamists."

For now, many Egyptians are still supporting the military against its opponents. But there are questions of how long that can last.

Mustafa Labbad is director of the Al Sharq Center for Regional and Strategic Studies.

"After a while you have to solve your social and economic problems. And it wouldn't matter if you are wearing a uniform or casual wear. If you are in power, you have to solve these problems."

Observers say repression against one group may be possible. But attempting to suppress a larger movement will prove difficult.

And that's In the News from VOA Learning English. I'm George Grow.

From VOA Learning English, this is In the News.

這里是美國(guó)之音慢速英語新聞報(bào)道。

Egypt is criticizing an American decision to cancel hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the country. An Egyptian Foreign Ministry official says the decision is wrong. He says his country is prepared to carry out what he called a political road map, which includes plans for elections next year.

美國(guó)決定取消對(duì)埃及數(shù)億美元的援助，埃及對(duì)此提出批評(píng)。埃及外交部官員表示，這個(gè)決定是錯(cuò)誤的。他說，埃及正準(zhǔn)備進(jìn)行他所謂的政治路線路，其中包括明年的選舉計(jì)劃。

The Obama administration said this week it was suspending the delivery of major weapons to Egypt because of delays in progress toward an inclusive government.

奧巴馬政府表示，本周美國(guó)暫停運(yùn)輸一批重要武器到埃及，這是因?yàn)榘＜俺菪哉倪M(jìn)程被耽擱。

The decision followed an investigation of events since the Egyptian military ousted President Mohamed Morsi three months ago. President Obama has also decided to suspend $260 million in assistance to the government that followed the ouster.

這一決定是在對(duì)埃及軍方三個(gè)月前推翻穆爾西總統(tǒng)以來的事件進(jìn)行調(diào)查后做出的。在穆爾西下臺(tái)后，奧巴馬總統(tǒng)還決定暫停向埃及政府提供2.6億美元的援助。

Mr. Obama has said there can be no business as usual following the overthrow of Mr. Morsi. American officials say this suspension is a way of expressing that point. But it is far from a complete break in American assistance.

奧巴馬曾表示，在推翻穆爾西之后，一切都變了。美國(guó)官員表示，暫停援助是一種表態(tài)，但遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)未達(dá)到美國(guó)徹底停止援助的地步。

The United States will continue to support programs that it says directly help the Egyptian people. It will also continue financing programs that support what it calls "vital security objectives." These include help aimed at securing Egypt's borders.

美國(guó)表示將繼續(xù)支持埃及人民直接受益的項(xiàng)目，也將繼續(xù)資助所謂“重要安全目標(biāo)”的項(xiàng)目，其中包括協(xié)助加強(qiáng)埃及邊境安全。

Jonathan Broder is with Congressional Quarterly, a publication that reports on American politics. He says Mr. Obama has been under pressure for not taking stronger steps after the ouster of Egypt's democratically-elected leader.

喬納森·布羅德(Jonathan Broder)就職于報(bào)道美國(guó)政治的刊物《國(guó)會(huì)季刊》。他說，在埃及民選總統(tǒng)下臺(tái)后，奧巴馬總統(tǒng)因?yàn)槲茨懿扇?qiáng)硬措施一直備受壓力。

"There is the image that President Obama wants to present to the world as someone who stands up for human rights and for democracy. And the images of Egyptian soldiers killing protesters on the streets of Cairo is a very negative one in the United States. And there's pressure on him from human rights organizations and from some in Congress to suspend the aid."

布羅德說，“奧巴馬總統(tǒng)希望向全球展示自己捍衛(wèi)人權(quán)和民主的形象。埃及士兵殺害開羅街頭示威者的圖片在美國(guó)是非常負(fù)面的。奧巴馬面臨人權(quán)組織和國(guó)會(huì)一些人要求暫停援助的壓力。

American officials say Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel discussed the move in a telephone call on Wednesday with Egypt's Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. During the call, the two men were said to have re-stated the importance of their countries' relations in guaranteeing Middle East security.

美國(guó)官員說，美國(guó)國(guó)防部長(zhǎng)哈格爾(Chuck Hagel)周三與埃及國(guó)防部長(zhǎng)阿卜杜勒·法塔赫·塞西(Abdel Fattah al-Sisi)在電話中討論了這一舉動(dòng)。據(jù)說兩人在電話中重申了兩國(guó)關(guān)系在確保中東地區(qū)安全中的重要性。

Since July, the Egyptian military has led a campaign against suspected militants and supporters of Mr. Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. At least 1,000 people have been killed. Most were Islamists.

七月以來，埃及軍事領(lǐng)導(dǎo)了一場(chǎng)針對(duì)疑似武裝分子和穆爾西以及穆斯林兄弟會(huì)支持者的運(yùn)動(dòng)。至少有一千人被殺害，其中多數(shù)是伊斯蘭教徒。

In recent days, more violence was reported, with attacks on security forces and clashes between protesters and police. Some Egyptians predict it only lead to increased use of military force.

連日來關(guān)于襲擊安全部隊(duì)和警察示威者沖突的暴力報(bào)道不斷。一些埃及人預(yù)測(cè)說，這只會(huì)增加武力的使用。

以下翻譯稍后繼續(xù)。

Emad Shahin is a public policy professor with The American University in Cairo. He thinks military leaders are preparing for a final battle with their long-time enemies.

"They think that the plan by which they managed to charge, to mobilize the anger of the people against Morsi's rule and administration and so on, has gained a momentum and it is really time to break down the Islamists."

For now, many Egyptians are still supporting the military against its opponents. But there are questions of how long that can last.

Mustafa Labbad is director of the Al Sharq Center for Regional and Strategic Studies.

"After a while you have to solve your social and economic problems. And it wouldn't matter if you are wearing a uniform or casual wear. If you are in power, you have to solve these problems."

Observers say repression against one group may be possible. But attempting to suppress a larger movement will prove difficult.