Pentagon Official Says Next US President Faces Challenges in Pakistan, Afghanistan
美军警告新总统交接面临更大威胁　

　 
America's top military officer, Admiral Michael Mullen, says the transition to a new U.S. administration could be a time of heightened threat for the United States. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who spoke in Los Angeles Monday, said the next president must address a growing insurgency along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

美国军方高级官员马伦上将表示，在美国新政府接管权力的过程中，美国可能受到更大的威胁。美国参谋长联席会议主席马伦星期一在洛杉矶发表讲话说，下一位美国总统必须处理阿富汗和巴基斯坦边界沿线日益严重的反叛活动问题。

The 44th U.S. president will take the oath of office on January 20. And Admiral Mullen says the months around the inauguration are always a time of transition and risk as a new administration gets up and running.

明年1月20号，第44届美国总统将宣誓就职。马伦上将说，美国总统宣誓就职、接管权力的前后几个月通常是权力转换和风险比较大的时候。

He says the most serious threat comes from the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan, where, he says, the level of violence has been rising.

他说，最严重的威胁来自阿富汗和巴基斯坦边界地区。他说，在那里，暴力活动在升级。

Earlier this month, Mullen told a congressional committee that he is not convinced that coalition forces are winning in Afghanistan. But, he says, he believes they can. He repeated the comment on Monday before an audience in Los Angeles, and later told reporters, that the United States needs to focus on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

本月早些时候，马伦在一个国会委员会上说，他不认为联军正在阿富汗取得胜利。但是他说，他相信，联军能够取胜。星期一他在洛杉矶发表讲话时再次重申这一点。他后来又对记者说，美国需要集中处理阿富汗和巴基斯坦边界的问题。

"Al-Qaida is there. Its leadership is there. We know that. And it continues to plan against the West, including against our homeland," he said.

他说：“基地组织在那里。基地组织的领导层在那里。我们知道这一点。他们在继续计划针对西方的行动，包括针对美国本土的行动。”

Pakistan has criticized a series of suspected U.S. missile strikes and a ground attack against militant targets in Pakistan.

巴基斯坦对据怀疑是美国发动的一系列导弹袭击和一次地面进攻提出批评。这些攻击行动针对的是巴基斯坦境内的激进组织目标。

Pentagon officials deny news reports that Pakistani soldiers fired at two U.S. helicopters late Sunday for allegedly violating Pakistan's airspace in a suspected attack on a militant base. Admiral Mullen said he has received no information that such an incident happened.

美国国防部官员否认有关报导，这些报导说，巴基斯坦军人星期天晚上向两架据称在攻击一个激进分子基地过程中侵犯了巴基斯坦领空的美国直升机射击。马伦将军说，他没有得到有关此类事件发生的信息。

Speaking in Washington Monday, Afghanistan's defense minister said his country has proposed a joint force made up of Afghan, Pakistani and coalition troops that would operate on both sides of the border. Admiral Mullen said he has not seen details of the proposal, but is encouraged that an Afghan leader offered the idea as a way to increase border security.

星期一，阿富汗国防部长在华盛顿讲话时说，阿富汗建议成立一支联合部队，由阿富汗、巴基斯坦和联军人员组成。这支部队能够在边界两测活动。马伦将军说，他还没有看到建议的细节，但是由一名阿富汗领导人提出这个方案，作为加强边界安全的途径，这使他感到振奋。

Mullen says the coalition strategy in the region needs to be economic as well as military. He says it should focus in part on eradicating poppy production, which fuels the heroin trade and feeds a growing insurgency.

马伦说，联军在该地区的战略需要考虑军事和经济两个层面，应该把部分努力放在杜绝罂粟生产方面。罂粟生产推动了鸦片贸易，并且助长了日益强大的反叛力量。

"The profits from that crop are feeding the fight. And the extension of that is, they're killing Americans and killing our coalition partners and killing Afghan soldiers and citizens," added Mullen.

马伦说：“来自罂粟生产的利润为战争提供了资金。战争导致美国人和联军成员的死亡，以及阿富汗士兵和老百姓的死亡。”

In addition, Admiral Mullen says Iran must also be a top priority for the new administration. He says Tehran hopes to extend its influence beyond the Middle East, and that it is working with the Taliban, once its archenemy, against coalition forces in Afghanistan.

此外，马伦将军还表示，美国新政府还必须把伊朗问题作为头等大事。他说，德黑兰希望把影响力扩大到中东之外。伊朗正在跟过去的主要敌人塔利班合作，对抗在阿富汗的联军力量。