12-14-2005

选举前夕伊拉克平静 (Iraq Quiet on Election Eve)

在具有历史意义的伊拉克议会选举到来之际，伊拉克星期三绝大部份城市平安无事。伊拉克人希望这次选举会给他们的国家带来安全和稳定。

作为从星期二开始的全国5天假日的一部份，学校和商店都已经关闭。作为严格的安全措施的一部份，伊拉克的边境被关闭，汽车被禁止上街通行。

塔拉巴尼总统呼吁伊拉克人投票。他说，选民投票率高将会给新政府带来打败恐怖分子所需要的合法性。

Iraq's cities are mostly quiet Wednesday, on the eve of landmark parliamentary elections Iraqis hope will bring security and stability to their country.

Schools and businesses are closed as part of a five-day long national holiday that began Tuesday. The country's borders are closed and vehicle traffic is banned from the streets as part of strict security measures.

President Jalal Talabani urged Iraqis to vote, saying a strong turnout would give the new government the legitimacy it needs to defeat terrorists.

世贸会谈代表辩论农产品补贴 (WTO Trade Delegates Debate Farm Subsidies)

造成世界贸易组织149个成员严重分歧的政府向农民提供补贴的棘手问题仍然是香港世贸会谈的争议焦点。在世贸会谈的第二天，与会代表继续谈判，而警察和抗议者在附近发生冲突。

美国参加世贸会议的最高代表、贸易代表波特曼星期三呼吁欧盟在农产品补贴问题上打破僵局，以便最后敲定全球贸易协定。

但是欧盟贸易专员曼德尔森后来对世贸代表说，如果与会代表继续一心关注农产品补贴纠纷，本星期的世贸会谈只能以失败收场。

欧盟由于拒绝降低政府给欧盟国家农民的补贴一直受到其它世贸成员的尖锐批评。

Government subsidies to farmers, the contentious issue that divides the World Trade Organization's 149 member nations, remains at the forefront of the WTO meeting in Hong Kong, where talks are continuing for a second day while police and protesters battle nearby.

The United States' top representative at the WTO meeting, Rob Portman, called on the European Union Wednesday to break the deadlock on agricultural subsidies in order to finalize a global trade pact.

Speaking later, however, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson told WTO delegates this week's meeting will fail if they continue to focus solely on the dispute over subsidies.

The European Union has been sharply criticized by other WTO members for refusing to lower its payments to farmers.