Obama to Meet Cuban President at Summit of the Americas

Officials from Cuba will attend the Summit of the Americas this week in Panama. The summit brings together the leaders of countries in North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. This is the first time Cuba has been invited to the meetings.

本周，古巴官员将要参加在巴拿马举行的美洲高峰会。来自北美洲、中美洲、南美洲以及加勒比地区的各国领导人都将云集与此。这是古巴首次受邀出席此次峰会。

United States officials say President Barack Obama plans to talk with Cuban President Raúl Castro at the summit. It will be the first time the two men have spoken since Mr. Obama announced plans to re-establish full diplomatic relations between their countries.

美国官方表示，奥巴马总统将在峰会上，与古巴总统劳尔·卡斯特罗进行谈话。这是自奥巴马宣布重新正式确立两国外交关系之后，进行的第一次会谈。

President Obama says he welcomes Cuba’s participation at the conference.

奥巴马总统表示欢迎古巴参与此次会议。

“This April, we are prepared to have Cuba join the other nations of the hemisphere at the Summit of the Americas.”

“今年四月，我们打算邀请古巴与其他国家一样，参与美洲高峰会。”

Obama administration officials hope that by welcoming Cuba to the summit, the United States will rebuild its leadership role in Latin America. Experts say the U.S. position has suffered because of economic weakness and the area’s increasing involvement with China and other countries.

奥巴马政府官员希望通过邀请古巴参加此次峰会，能够重塑美国在拉丁美洲的领导角色。专家们表示，由于经济疲软，加之拉丁美洲与中国以及其他国家往来日益密切，美国的位置岌岌可危。

U.S. measures targeting Cuba’s Communist government have been an issue in Latin American countries for many years. At the 2012 Summit of the Americas, some Latin American leaders criticized the U.S. decision to bar Cuba from the meetings.

多年来，美国针对古巴共和政府的一些政策一直困扰着拉美国家。2012年美洲高峰会上，对于美国不准古巴参与美洲高峰会的决定，很多拉美领导人都提出批评意见。

Michael Shifter heads the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington, D.C. He says the invitation to Cuba to attend the summit in Panama is a major development.

迈克尔·希夫特是华盛顿特区美洲国家对话组织的负责人。他说邀请古巴参加巴拿马美洲高峰会是一项重大进展。

“It has enormous symbolism, over the last 50 years as the country that has been isolated by the United States and not treated as a sovereign nation. So for Latin Americans, that’s very, very important.”

“此举意义重大。50多年来，美国一直孤立古巴，并未将其视为主权国家。因此对于拉丁美洲来说，此举非常重要。”

But not everyone supports the Obama administration’s decision to seek full diplomatic relations with Cuba. And some critics say Cuba’s participation in the summit hurts democracy in Latin America.

但是，并非所有人都支持奥巴马政府与古巴进行全面外交的决定。一些评论家表示古巴参与美洲高峰会一举有损拉丁美洲的民主。

The United States still includes Cuba on a list of countries that support terrorism. President Obama wants Cuba to be taken off the list, but he has not yet announced when that will happen.

美国仍将古巴列为支持恐怖主义国家的名单中。奥巴马总统希望将古巴移除此名单，但是尚未宣布何时将其移除。

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来源:China Daily爱语吧作者:Monica