12-12-2005

东盟同意起草宪章推动民主原则(ASEAN Agrees to Draft Charter Promoting Democratic Principles)

东盟10个成员国领导人在马来西亚吉隆坡结束了他们为期一天的会议。各国同意起草一份促进民主原则和良政的东盟宪章。

这一宪章将是具有38年历史的东盟的第一个宪章，而且具有法律约束力。宪章将对象缅甸这样的成员国进行民主改革施加压力。

星期一，代表们还讨论了包括禽流感以及中国和印度日益增强的经济实力等问题。

目前还没有关于日本和中国、韩国的关系取得突破的报导。日本领导人近来再次参拜有争议的靖国神社，使原计划在峰会期间举行的三方正式会谈被取消。

Ten Southeast Asian nations meeting in Kuala Lumpur have ended their one-day meeting with an agreement to draft a charter promoting democratic principles and good governance.

The charter will be the first for the 38-year-old Association of Southeast Asian Nations and would make its agreements legally binding. The charter could help pressure wayward member countries such as Burma toward democratic reforms.

Also Monday, delegates discussed issues such as bird flu and the growing economic power of China and India.

There were no reported breakthroughs in relations between Japan and its neighbors China and Korea. Planned formal talks among the three at the summit were scrapped after Japan's leader recently again visited a controversial war shrine.

伊拉克选举开始提前投票(Early Voting Underway in Iraq)

伊拉克军人、监狱在押人员和医院病人在公众投票的3天前开始议会选举投票。同时，有7人在巴格达被反叛分子打死。

在星期一的反叛分子暴力行动中，1名美军在巴格达死于路边炸弹袭击。一枚汽车炸弹在巴格达的另一地方导致至少两人丧生。几起枪战导致4名伊拉克人死亡，其中至少包括1名警官。

Iraqi soldiers, prisoners and hospital patients have begun voting in parliamentary elections, three days before general balloting. The early votes were cast as insurgents killed seven people in Baghdad.

In insurgent violence today (Monday), a roadside bomb killed a U.S. soldier in Baghdad. A car bomb killed at least two people in another part of the city. And several gunfights left four Iraqis dead, including at least one police officer.