双语新闻：布什“家宴”德法元首(图)

　　Come back, old Europe, all is forgiven: that seemed to be the tune playing in Washington this week as the leaders of France and Germany were received with a mixture of fanfare and homespun warmth by George Bush.

　　Having made known his weakness for American popular culture, Nicolas Sarkozy proved that he was equally at home with Washingtonian pomp and ceremony: enjoying lobster bisque and lamb at a grand White House dinner, and addressing both houses of Congress. “In times of difficulty, in times of hardship, friends stand together,” Mr Sarkozy assured America's legislators. “I want to be your friend, your ally and your partner.”

　　A more homely repast, perhaps including the hamburgers that Mr Sarkozy adamantly professes to like, awaited Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel as she headed for the presidential ranch in Crawford, Texas. In short, this week's visitors are getting a level of hospitality which, until recently, only one European leader—Tony Blair—could be sure of receiving. For the moment at least, the Bush administration seems far more excited by hobnobbing with senior French and Germans than it is by Mr Blair's successor as British prime minister, Gordon Brown. As Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank, puts it, the Americans respect Ms Merkel as the main driver of the European Union's emerging foreign policy, and they are impressed by Mr Sarkozy's efforts to reorient France and upgrade its military ties with NATO. By comparison, Mr Brown has so far chosen to be a bystander.

　　Behind this week's extravagant shows of hospitality lay some real points of convergence, and some problems. Both European visitors are worried about the ever-growing assertiveness of President Vladimir Putin's Russia, on issues ranging from energy supplies to Kosovo. Both welcome the Bush administration's late conversion to the idea that climate change is a serious problem, but both wish that this would translate into an acceptance of binding curbs on the emission of greenhouse gases.

　　Amid all the bonhomie, both hosts and guests are emphasising how keen they are to stop Iran getting nuclear weapons. The Europeans say they accept that it may be necessary to ratchet up sanctions against the regime in Tehran. What is not clear is whether this declared enthusiasm for further sanctions reflects a sincere belief in the need to do whatever it takes to thwart Iran—or an attempt to assuage what they perceive as the enthusiasm of at least some American officials for a military strike on Iran. Karsten Voigt, the German diplomat in charge of transatlantic ties, sees a “minimal risk” of an American-Iranian clash before the 2008 presidential election. But not everybody in Washington or Berlin is so sure.

　　回来吧， 老欧洲，一切都可原谅，这就是本周华盛顿接待法国和德国领导人时的基调。乔治·布什既大肆宣传又让他们感到宾至如归。

　　虽然众所周知，尼古拉·萨科齐对于美国的通俗文化不甚了解，但是面对华盛顿式的壮观场面，他也是应付自如：在白宫盛大的宴会上享用汤汁龙虾和小羊肉，并在国会两院发表讲话。“在困难的时候，在艰苦的时候， 朋友始终是站在一起的，”萨科齐先生向美国的国会议员们保证：“我希望做你们的朋友，盟友和伙伴。”

　　当德国总理安格拉·默克尔前往总统在德克萨斯州克劳福德的农场时，一次更富有家庭气氛的宴会在等着她，可能还会上萨科齐坚决表示喜欢的汉堡包。总之，本周的来访者所得到的款待水准在不久前只有一位欧洲领导人托尼·布莱尔才能得到。至少到目前，相对于布莱尔先生的接班人英国首相戈登·布朗，布什政府更愿意和法德两国的高层人士亲近。“欧洲改革中心”智囊库的查尔斯·格兰特说，美国人把默克尔女士尊为欧盟新的外交政策的主要驱动者。他们也对萨科齐先生在调整法国方向、提升与北约的军事合作方面所做出的努力印象深刻。相比之下，布朗先生到目前为止仍选择袖手旁观。

　　在本周铺张的热情款待的背后还是达成了一些共识，也存在一些问题。两位欧洲领导人对弗拉基米尔·普京总统领导下的俄罗斯在从能源供应到科索沃等问题上日益强硬的态度感到担忧。两位都欢迎布什政府最近转变态度，承认气候变化是一个严重问题。但是两位都希望这种态度的转变能被理解成接受了减少温室气体排放的义务。

　　在友好的气氛中，宾主双方都强调，他们对阻止伊朗获得核武器的关注。欧洲领导人说，他们认为，也许有必要加强对德黑兰当局的制裁。不清楚的是，这种对进一步制裁明确的支持所反映的究竟是真的相信有必要采取一切手段来阻止伊朗呢，还是为缓解他们所认为的至少一部分美国官员对用军事手段打击伊朗的狂热而做出的一种努力。负责跨大西洋关系的德国外交官卡尔斯顿·弗耶哥特认为，在2008年总统大选之前美伊冲突的风险是“极其低”的。但在华盛顿或柏林不是人人都如此认为。