奧巴馬稱美國準備取消對緬甸的制裁
President Barack Obama has announced that the United States is prepared to lift economic sanctions on Myanmar, following talks at the White House with the country's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
美國總統奧巴馬宣佈，美國準備取消對緬甸的經濟制裁。此前，奧巴馬與緬甸實際掌權的領導人昂山素季在白宮舉行了會談。
After their meeting Wednesday, both leaders spoke to reporters in the Oval Office. Citing that country’s “remarkable social and political transformation,” Obama said, "The United States is now prepared to lift sanctions that we have imposed on Burma for quite some time.”
兩位領導人星期三會談後，在橢圓形辦公室向媒體發表了講話。奧巴馬以緬甸出現的“卓越的社會和政治變革”爲例說明，“美國現已準備好要取消長期以來對緬甸實施的制裁。”
Earlier, he sent a letter to Congress saying the administration is moving to restore trade benefits to Myanmar that were suspended more than two decades ago because of human rights abuses.
早些時候，奧巴馬致函美國國會，稱政府將採取行動恢復對緬甸的貿易優惠，對緬甸的貿易優惠因爲人權問題在20多年前被中止。
Speaking alongside Obama, Aung San Suu Kyi thanked him personally for being the first U.S. president to visit Myanmar.
昂山素季站在奧巴馬身邊，親自對奧巴馬作爲第一位美國總統訪問緬甸表示感謝。
She also thanked the Congress for putting pressure on Myanmar to restore human rights, but said the time has now come for the U.S. to lift all sanctions, saying, "But unity also needs prosperity, because people, when they have to fight over limited resources, forget that standing together is important."
她還感謝美國國會爲恢復人權曾向緬甸政府施加壓力。但是她說，現在是美國取消所有制裁的時候了。她說：“團結也需要繁榮，因爲當人們不得不爲有限資源而爭鬥時，他們就會忘記團結的重要性。”
She pleaded for people to visit and invest in the country, saying, “I expect businessmen to come to our country to make profits.” She said she expects Myanmar’s legislature to pass a new investment law she hopes will be very attractive to countries around the world.
她呼籲人們到緬甸觀光和投資。她說：“我期待商人們到我們國家來賺取利潤。”她說，她預計並期望緬甸議會通過一項吸引世界各國的新的投資法。
Aung San Suu Kyi acknowledged that while Myanmar has made progress in its transition to democracy, there is "so much that has to be done." She cited continuing tensions among its 135 ethnic groups, and said her administration is focused on the situation in Rakhine state, saying "communal strife is not something we can ignore."
昂山素季承認，雖然緬甸在向民主過渡方面取得了進展，但是仍有“很多工作要做。”她以緬甸135個民族之間持續不斷的緊張局勢爲例指出，她的政府目前關注的焦點是若開邦的局勢，她說“族裔間的紛爭不容忽視”。
