11-08-2005

美明年中换防九万多驻伊美军 (92,000 US Troops to be sent to Iraq mid next year as part of rotation)

美国军方说，2006年年中开始，将向伊拉克派遣9万2千名军人。这是一次例行的军队轮换。国防部长拉姆斯菲尔德星期一警告说，这个数目并不表明驻伊美军人数会减少，美国目前在伊拉克有兵力16万人。拉姆斯菲尔德说，即将开赴伊拉克的部队名单没有最终确定，而且最终需要多少美军在伊拉克，还要根据伊拉克的情况而定。拉姆斯菲尔德说，那些情况包括反叛活动的强度和美国训练的伊拉克安全部队的能力等。

今年大部份时间，美军在伊拉克的人数保持在13万8千左右，不过，美军兵力最近有所增加，这是为了10月举行的伊拉克宪法全民公投和12月即将举行的选举能够安全进行。

The U.S. military says 92-thousand troops will be sent to Iraq starting in mid-2006 as part of a regular troop rotation.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld cautioned (Monday) that the number does not signal plans to reduce the U.S. troop level in Iraq, which now stands at 160-thousand. He said the list of units designated for deployment is not final, and that troop levels will ultimately depend on conditions in Iraq.Mr. Rumsfeld said those conditions include the strength of the insurgency and the capabilities of U.S.-trained Iraqi security forces.

The U.S. troop level in Iraq has stayed around 138-thousand for most of the year, but was increased recently to boost security for Iraq's constitutional referendum in October and the upcoming December elections.

胡锦涛访问伦敦开始欧洲之行 (Chinese President Starts European Tour in London)

中国国家主席胡锦涛抵达伦敦。这是他欧洲3国之行的第一站。英国伊丽莎白女王举行仪式，欢迎胡锦涛来访。欢迎仪式后，胡锦涛与英国首相布莱尔就经济关系和全球气候变暖等一系列问题举行会谈。

预计，胡锦涛还将讨论北京争取让欧盟结束对中国实行了16年的武器禁运的问题。这项禁令是在1989年中国镇压天安门民主抗议运动之后施行的。

数以百计的人权人士和西藏活动人士星期二在胡锦涛一行经过的沿途进行抗议。

胡锦涛结束在英国两天访问之后，还将前往德国和西班牙，然后前往韩国出席11月18号召开的亚太经合组织领导人会议。

Chinese President Hu Jintao is in London, the first stop of a three-nation European tour.Mr. Hu received a ceremonial welcome from Queen Elizabeth today (Tuesday), ahead of talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair on a range of issues, including economic relations and global warming.

He also is expected to discuss Beijing's push for an end to a 16-year European Union arms embargo against China. The ban was imposed after China's crackdown on the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests.

Hundreds of human rights protesters and Tibetan activists gathered along Mr. Hu's procession route today.

Following his two-day British visit, Mr. Hu travels to Germany and Spain before heading to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum that begins November 18th.