9-20-2005

德国两大政党拟讨论联合组阁 (Germany's Two Major Parties To Discuss Coalition)

德国政界领导人说， 该国两个最大的政党计划星期四举行组成联合政府的会谈。在星期天的选举中没有任何一党赢得明显多数。在联邦议院的598个席位中，以安格拉.默克尔为首的基督教民主联盟比现任总理格哈特.施罗德的社会民主党多了3个席位。如果这两个党组成联合政府，他们将有足够的议会票数组成新政府。不过，默克尔女士和施罗德先生都已声称有权担任总理。

预计基督教民主联盟在星期二的投票中会被再次推举为该党领袖。分析人士称这是对她的信任投票。由于选举结果不明朗以及对德国这个欧洲最大经济推行金融改革的疑虑，德国股市星期一走低。 　

German political leaders say the country's two biggest parties plan to meet for coalition talks on Thursday after no party won a clear majority in Sunday's election. The Christian Democrats, led by Angela Merkel, edged out incumbent Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats by three seats in the 598-seat lower house. If the two parties join in a coalition, they would have enough votes to form a government. But both Ms. Merkel and Mr. Schroeder have claimed the right to be chancellor.

Merkel's Christian Democrats are expected to re-elect her as party leader Tuesday in a vote analysts call a demonstration of confidence in her. On Monday, German stock prices fell amid the election uncertainty and skepticism over enacting financial reforms in Europe's biggest economy.

英国为驻伊英军突袭监狱辩护 (Britain Defends Prison Raid by British Troops in Iraq)

英国国防大臣约翰.里德说，英国军队星期一突袭伊拉克南部城市巴士拉的一所监狱，试图营救据信关押在那里的两名便衣英国军人是正确的行动。里德星期二在伦敦说，由于这两名军人没有按程序被移交给美国领导的多国部队，因此越来越引起关注。英国军队突袭了这座监狱，证实两名英国军人没有关押在那里。这两名军人后来从巴士拉一座民居获救，一个伊拉克民兵组织把他们关押在那里。

这两名军人据称向伊拉克警察开枪之后被扣押。这一事件引发的暴乱造成两名伊拉克人丧生。伊拉克总理的发言人批评英国的突袭行动，称之为“非常不幸”的事件。

另外，美国军方报告说，一名美国军人星期二在巴格达附近丧生，还有4名美军星期一在拉马迪附近的两起路边炸弹袭击中丧生。 黑兰方面予以否认。

Britain's Defense Minister John Reidsays his troops acted correctly when they raided an Iraqi prison in the southern city of Basra Monday in an attempt to rescue two undercover soldiers believed to be held there. Reid said Tuesday in London that concern grew when the soldiers were not handed over to the U.S.-led multinational force, as procedure requires. British troops raided the jail, confirming the soldiers were not there. They were later rescued at a private house in Basra where they were held by an Iraqi militia group.

The two soldiers were detained after allegedly shooting two Iraqi policemen. The incident sparked riots that killed two other Iraqis. A spokesman for Iraq's prime minister criticized the British raid, calling it "very unfortunate."

In a separate development, the U.S. military reports an American solider was killed Tuesday near Baghdad, and four others were killed Monday in two roadside bombings near Ramadi.