Afghan, Pakistani Representatives Hold Jirga on Taliban Conflict
巴阿部落领袖及政府代表开始会谈
A suspected U.S. missile strike has killed 20 people in Pakistan's Taliban-controlled tribal regions. The attack came hours before Pakistani and Afghan tribal leaders and government representatives began two days of talks about the Taliban insurgency in both countries.
被怀疑是美军发动的一次导弹袭击在塔利班控制的巴基斯坦部落地区造成20人死亡。袭击发生几个小时之后,巴基斯坦和阿富汗部落领袖以及政府代表开始就两国境内塔利班反叛武装问题展开为期两天的会谈。
Residents of South Waziristan said the early morning missile strike hit the home of a Taliban commander outside the main town, Wana. Local residents reported some foreign militants were among the dead.
南瓦济里斯坦的居民说,清晨发射的导弹击中了主要城镇瓦纳郊外一名塔利班指挥官的房屋。据当地居民报告,死者当中包括几名外国激进分子。
Since late August, more than 12 such missile strikes have hit targets mainly in the North and South Waziristan tribal agencies, which are considered key strongholds of Taliban factions that also operate in Afghanistan.
去年8月以来,这类导弹袭击共发生了12次以上,主要目标是南、北瓦济里斯坦的部落特区。据认为那些地区是同时也在阿富汗活动的塔利班派系的主要聚集地。
During the same time, Pakistan's military has been engaged in heavy fighting in the Bajaur tribal agency, where the army claimed this week that more than 1,500 militants and 73 soldiers have been killed since the operation began.
与此同时,巴基斯坦军方在巴焦尔部落特区与激进分子展开了激烈战斗,军方这个星期说,这次行动开始以来,已经有1千5百多名激进分子被击毙,73名士兵阵亡。
Despite the increase in U.S. missile strikes and the intensified efforts of the Pakistani military, there is also growing support for using negotiations and diplomacy to resolve the Taliban conflict.
尽管美军增加了导弹袭击频率,巴基斯坦军方也加大了行动力度,但也有更多的人支持通过谈判和外交途径解决与塔利班的冲突。
Last week Pakistan's parliament passed a resolution supporting peace talks as the government's top priority. This week, a group of Afghan tribal leaders, clerics and government officials arrived in Islamabad for talks with their Pakistani counterparts on the Taliban insurgency.
上星期,巴基斯坦议会通过决议,支持政府将和谈作为优先重点。这星期,一些阿富汗部落领袖、神职人员和政府官员抵达伊斯兰堡,就塔利班反叛武装问题同巴基斯坦方面展开两天的会谈。
At the start of the two-day meeting traditionally known as a jirga, Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said both countries acknowledge that the Taliban insurgency must be resolved through diplomacy.
会谈开始时,巴基斯坦外长库雷希说,两国都承认,必须通过外交途径解决塔利班反叛武装问题。
"There is an increasing realization that the use of force alone cannot yield the desired results. For lasting success, negotiations and reconciliation must be an essential part of the process" Qureshi said.
他说:“人们越来越认识到,只靠武力不能取得预期的结果。为了持久的成功,必须使谈判和妥协成为这个进程的重要组成部分。”
Since the last Pakistan-Afghanistan jirga held in Kabul more than a year ago, relations between the two countries have worsened and the Taliban insurgency has strengthened. Afghan officials have accused elements of Pakistan's intelligence and military institutions of helping insurgents plot attacks in Afghanistan.
自从巴基斯坦和阿富汗各方一年多以前举行上一次会谈以来,两国关系有所恶化,塔利班反叛活动有所加强。阿富汗官员指责巴基斯坦情报部门和军方机构中有人帮助反叛分子策划在阿富汗境内发动袭击。
Despite the difficulties, officials in both countries say there is now more support for working together to negotiate an end to the conflict. Unlike last year, representatives from Pakistan's tribal agencies are attending the talks, citing the minor but hopeful progress that was made during the last round.
尽管存在这些困难,两国官员都表示,现在人们更加支持展开合作,通过谈判结束冲突。与去年不同的是,巴基斯坦部落特区的代表现在也参加了会谈,表示自上一轮会谈以来取得了微小但有希望的进展。
Some critics in Pakistan say the talks are meaningless unless U.S., NATO and Taliban representatives attend. But the leader of Afghanistan's delegation, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, said searching for common ground at this stage is the best way forward.
巴基斯坦一些批评人士认为,除非美国、北约和塔利班的代表也出席,否则这些会谈毫无意义。但是阿富汗代表团团长、前外交部长阿卜杜拉说,在目前阶段,寻求共同立场是取得进展的最佳途径。
"Through the decisions of the peace jirga and the discussions that we have here we will explore those opportunities further and hopefully what we decide here will help us to expedite the process of dialogue and reconciliation," Abdullah said.
他说:“通过和平会谈的决定以及我们在此展开的讨论,我们将进一步探索那些机会,但愿我们在这里做出的决定将帮助我们加快对话和妥协的进程。”
The talks among 50 officials and tribal elders from both countries are expected to continue through Tuesday.
预计,这50名官员和部落长老的会谈将持续到星期二。