President Bush is sending U.S. lawmakers a controversial free-trade agreement with Colombia. The move forces Congress to vote on the agreement within 90 legislative days.
布什总统星期一向美国国会递交了一份跟哥伦比亚签署的引起争议的自由贸易协议。布什总统的这个行动迫使国会在今后90天的立法议程中就这个协议进行投票表决。
President Bush says he is sending the Colombia free-trade agreement to Congress because it is time to level the playing field for American workers and safeguard U.S. security interests in the hemisphere.
布什总统说，他之所以把哥伦比亚自由贸易协议递交给国会是因为现在已经到了在西半球为美国工人铲平竞争场地和确保美国国家安全利益的时候了。
"This agreement will advance America's national security interests in a critical region," President Bush said. "It will strengthen a courageous ally in our hemisphere. It will help America's economy and America's workers at a vital time. It deserves bipartisan support from the United States Congress."
布什说：“这份协议将促进美国在这个关键区域的国家安全利益，将加强我们在西半球的一个勇敢的盟友，将在一个重要关头帮助美国经济和美国工人。这份协议理应得到美国国会民主-共和两党的共同支持。”
Mr. Bush says the need is too urgent and the stakes to national security too high to allow the year to end without a vote on the deal. The president's action forces a vote on the free-trade agreement within 90 legislative days.
布什总统表示，这个协议迫切需要在今年年底之前得到国会的投票表决，否则的话，美国国家安全所面临的风险就太大了。布什总统今天的行动迫使国会在今后90天的立法会议期内不得不对这份自由贸易协议进行投票表决。
Most Colombian exports already enter the United States duty free. The deal makes permanent Colombia's preferential access to the U.S. market, while eliminating tariffs on 80 percent of American exports to Colombia; including aircraft and auto parts, beef, cotton, wheat, soybeans, and fruit.
哥伦比亚向美国出口的大多数产品现在已经不用缴纳任何关税。这份自由贸易协议将不但使哥伦比亚在对美出口方面享受的优惠待遇永久化，而且使80%美国对哥伦比亚出口的产品免除关税，其中包括飞机和汽车零部件、牛肉、棉花、小麦、大豆和水果。
President Bush says approving the deal is the best way the United States can demonstrate its support for Colombia at a time when Bogota is standing against the anti-American rhetoric of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.
布什总统指出，哥伦比亚现在正在抵抗委内瑞拉总统查韦斯的反美叫嚣，美国如果能在这个时候批准这个自由贸易协议，那将是美国以最好的方式表达对哥伦比亚的支持。
"People throughout the hemisphere are watching to see what the United States will do," he said. "If Congress fails to approve this agreement, it would not only abandon a brave ally, it would send a signal throughout the region that America can not be counted on to support its friends."
布什说：“整个西半球的人们都在看着美国将采取什么行动。假如国会不能批准这个协议，那将意味着我们不但抛弃了一个勇敢的盟友，而且向整个地区发出一个信息，显示美国在支持友邦方面是靠不住的。”
Many congressional Democrats oppose the free-trade agreement because of concerns about Colombia's human-rights record.
美国国会的很多民主党人由于对哥伦比亚的人权纪录感到担心而反对这个自由贸易协议。
President Bush says Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has addressed the issues of U.S. lawmakers by demobilizing tens-of-thousands of paramilitary fighters and appointing an independent prosecutor to pursue cases involving attacks against trade unionists.
布什总统指出，哥伦比亚总统乌里韦已经着手解决美国国会议员们所关注的问题，他动员了数万名准军事部队，并且任命了一个独立的检查官来专门处理工会人士遭到攻击的案子。
"President Uribe has done everything asked of him. While Colombia still works to improve, the progress is undeniable. And it is worthy of our support," the president said.
布什说：“乌里韦总统已经做了所有他被要求做的事情。尽管哥伦比亚在这方面的工作还需要改进，但他们取得的进步却是不可否认的。哥伦比亚值得我们的支持。”
The president is sending this free-trade agreement to Congress one day after Senator Hillary Clinton's top presidential campaign strategist, Mark Penn, stepped down after he met with Colombia's ambassador to discuss advancing the trade deal.
就在布什总统向国会递交这份自由贸易协议的前一天，希拉里.克林顿参议员手下负责总统竞选战略的首席顾问马克.佩恩在会见了哥伦比亚驻美国大使讨论自贸协议之后离职。
Clinton publicly opposes the agreement. A White House spokesman says he knows of no contact between the administration and lobbyist Penn, whose firm represents the Colombian government.
克林顿参议员公开表示反对哥伦比亚自由贸易协议。而佩恩的公司却代表哥伦比亚政府在美国进行游说活动。白宫的一位发言人说，据他所知，布什行政当局跟说客佩恩之间没有任何联系。 |