U.S. President Barack Obama has made dialogue with the Middle East a priority in his early months in office. As the Obama administration approaches the 100 day mark, regional leaders are assessing the result.
美国总统奥巴马在他上任后的最初几周就把跟中东对话作为他的工作重点。在奥巴马政府上任将近100天之际，中东地区的领导人正在对有关工作的结果进行评估。
Jordan's King Abdullah is one of the new American president's strongest allies in the Middle East.
约旦国王阿卜杜拉是美国新总统奥巴马在中东的最坚强的盟友之一。
The two struck up a friendship during then-candidate Barack Obama's trip to the region last year. And the Jordanian monarch came to the White House last week as a prelude to a new round of personal diplomacy by the president designed to get the Israeli-Palestinian peace process back on track.
他们两人在奥巴马去年作为总统候选人访问中东地区期间结下了友谊。这位约旦国王上星期来到白宫访问，作为奥巴马总统新一轮个人外交的序曲，其目的在于使以巴和平进程重返轨道。
Before leaving Washington, King Abdullah sat down for an interview broadcast Sunday on the NBC television news program Meet the Press.
阿卜杜拉国王在离开华盛顿前接受了国家广播公司“会见媒体”电视节目的采访。
He said President Obama's message of engagement has been well received in the Middle East.
他在星期天播出的节目中说，奥巴马总统有关进行接触的讯息在中东受到了欢迎。
"Wherever you go - and all the leaders I have spoken to in the Middle East - this president provides hope," said King Abdullah.
“无论到哪里，跟我交谈的所有中东领导人都认为，奥巴马总统带来了希望。”
King Abdullah said he has urged the president to focus on the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, saying that is the key to resolving all the other problems in the region.
阿卜杜拉国王说，他敦促奥巴马总统把焦点放在以色列和巴勒斯坦人的争执上。他说这是解决这个地区所有其他问题的关键。
"Unless we solve the core issue of the Israeli-Palestinian, Israeli-Arab challenges then we will always be an area of instability that costs all of us," he said.
他说：“如果我们不解决以巴、以阿种种挑战的核心问题，那么我们中东将永远是让我们全体付出代价的一个不稳定地区。”
He was then asked about President Obama's gestures to Iran. King Abdullah urged Tehran not to turn away.
阿卜杜拉国王还被问到奥巴马总统对伊朗所作的姿态问题。阿卜杜拉国王敦促德黑兰不要置之不理。
"I think that President Obama's gesture of dialogue is one that Iran should not take for granted," said the Jordanian monarch.
“我认为，伊朗不应该把奥巴马总统作出的对话姿态不当回事。”
But the response from Iran's president is mixed at best.
但是，伊朗总统作出的反应即使说到底也是含糊不清的。
In a recorded interview aired Sunday on ABC's This Week program, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his government is working on a proposal for talks. But he declined to say when it might be ready or what it might contain.
在星期天播出的美国广播公司本周节目的一段事先录制的采访中，艾哈迈迪内贾德说，他的政府正在拟订一项有关谈判的建议。不过，他拒绝说出这个建议何时可以准备好，或者包含什么内容。
"We think that we should prepare the ground so that all states and peoples can have their say," said Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
他通过一名翻译说：“我们认为应该先打下基础，让所有国家和人民都有发言权。”
Iran's president also defended statements he made last Monday before a U.N. conference in which he called Israel the most cruel and racist regime in the world. Western nations walked out of the meeting hall in protest, and Mr. Obama condemned the remarks.
伊朗总统还为他上星期在联合国种族会议上发表的讲话进行了辩护。当时他把以色列称为世界上最残酷和种族主义最严重的政权。西方各国退出会场以示抗议，奥巴马谴责了上述言论。
President Obama has made several overtures to Iran since taking office - part of his outreach to the Muslim world. Last month, he delivered a videotaped address to the Iranian people as they marked the Persian New Year.
奥巴马总统自从上任以来已经向伊朗做出几次提议，这也是向穆斯林世界做出友善表示的一部分。上个月，他在伊朗人民庆祝波斯新年之际对他们发表了录像讲话。
President Ahmadinejad's comments in the ABC interview only added to the muddled response coming from Iranian leaders. And there are now signs the Obama administration is waiting for the results of Iran's presidential election in June.
艾哈迈迪内贾德在美国广播公司采访中发表的评论使得伊朗领导人发出的回应更加含混不清。有迹象显示，奥巴马政府正在等候今年6月伊朗总统选举的结果。 |