朝鮮在冬奧會(huì)上臨時(shí)取消朝美高層會(huì)談

North Korea pulled out of what would have been the highest-level meeting with US officials in almost two decades less than two hours before it was scheduled to start, White House officials have revealed.

白宮官員透露，朝鮮在預(yù)定會(huì)談前不到兩小時(shí)取消了一次朝美高層會(huì)談。這次會(huì)談如果舉行，將是這兩個(gè)國(guó)家近20年來最高級(jí)別的會(huì)談。

According to US officials, North Korea “dangled” an opportunity for Mike Pence, US vice-president, to meet a high-level political delegation from Pyongyang following the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in South Korea earlier this month.

據(jù)美國(guó)官員透露，朝鮮曾拋出一個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)：在冬奧會(huì)開幕式結(jié)束之后，讓美國(guó)副總統(tǒng)邁克•彭斯(Mike Pence)會(huì)晤平壤的高級(jí)別政治代表團(tuán)。

But hours before Mr Pence was to meet Kim Yo Jong — the influential sister of North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un — the reclusive regime backed out in a move US officials said was a result of Mr Pence’s tough rhetoric.

但在預(yù)定的彭斯和金與正(Kim Yo Jong)——朝鮮最高領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人金正恩(Kim Jong Un)的有影響力的妹妹——的會(huì)晤之前不到兩小時(shí)，這個(gè)與世隔絕的政權(quán)取消了會(huì)晤安排。美國(guó)官員們表示，這是彭斯強(qiáng)硬言論的一個(gè)結(jié)果。

“As we’ve said from day one . . .  the administration will stand in the way of Kim’s desire to whitewash their murderous regime with nice photo ops at the Olympics,” said Nick Ayers, chief of staff to the vice-president.

“正如我們?cè)诘谝惶焖f的……本屆行政當(dāng)局不會(huì)配合金氏用奧運(yùn)會(huì)上的漂亮照片來粉飾其血腥政權(quán)的愿望，”美國(guó)副總統(tǒng)的幕僚長(zhǎng)尼克•艾爾斯(Nick Ayers)表示。

“Perhaps that is why they walked away from the meeting or perhaps they were never sincere about sitting down.”

“也許這就是為什么他們?nèi)∠麜?huì)晤，抑或他們從來沒有誠(chéng)意坐下來談。”

North Korea has a long history of cancelling meetings and walking away from negotiations as a means to increase its leverage.

朝鮮一貫傾向于取消會(huì)議和從談判桌起身離開，將其作為一種增加己方籌碼的手段。

The revelation adds a new twist to the Olympic diplomacy, which has seen Mr Kim attempt to exploit the differences in strategy between allies Washington and Seoul.

這事為奧運(yùn)外交增添了一個(gè)新的情節(jié)轉(zhuǎn)折;金正恩試圖在本屆冬奧會(huì)上利用華盛頓與首爾之間在戰(zhàn)略上的分歧。

Under President Moon Jae-in, South Korea is seeking to engage with North Korea in the hope that dialogue can eventually lead to negotiations on the regime’s nuclear weapons programme.

文在寅(Moon Jae-in)總統(tǒng)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的韓國(guó)尋求與朝鮮接觸，希望對(duì)話最終能夠引向圍繞朝鮮核武計(jì)劃的談判。

The US, meanwhile, has adopted a “maximum pressure” approach to North Korea in an attempt to coerce it to abandon its arsenal of atomic weapons.

與此同時(shí)，美國(guó)對(duì)朝鮮采取“最大壓力”姿態(tài)，力求迫使其放棄核武。

Before the games’ opening ceremony on February 9, there were tentative hopes that Mr Pence could meet Ms Kim on the sidelines, despite the US vice-president’s hardline rhetoric about the regime.

在2月9日舉行冬奧會(huì)開幕式之前，外界曾萌生微弱希望：盡管美國(guó)副總統(tǒng)對(duì)平壤政權(quán)撂下狠話，但彭斯可能會(huì)在場(chǎng)外會(huì)晤金與正。

En route to South Korea, Mr Pence announced new sanctions on the North. He then met defectors who had escaped the isolated country.

在前往韓國(guó)途中，彭斯宣布對(duì)朝鮮實(shí)施新的制裁。然后，他會(huì)晤了逃離朝鮮的脫北者。

“North Korea would have strongly preferred the vice-president not use the world stage to call attention to those absolute facts or to display our strong alliance with those committed to the maximum pressure campaign,” Mr Ayers added.

“朝鮮本來強(qiáng)烈希望副總統(tǒng)不要利用世界舞臺(tái)來喚起世人對(duì)這些絕對(duì)事實(shí)的關(guān)注，不要展現(xiàn)出我們與那些致力于最大壓力努力的人們之間的堅(jiān)強(qiáng)同盟，”艾爾斯補(bǔ)充說。

The US state department said: “We will not apologise for American values, for calling attention to human rights abuses.”

美國(guó)國(guó)務(wù)院表示：“我方不會(huì)為美國(guó)的價(jià)值觀、為提請(qǐng)世人關(guān)注侵犯人權(quán)行為道歉。”

During the opening ceremony, Mr Pence ignored Ms Kim and the rest of the delegation from Pyongyang, which included Kim Yong Nam, the 90-year-old ceremonial head of state.

在冬奧會(huì)開幕式上，彭斯對(duì)金與正以及平壤代表團(tuán)的其余成員視若不見，包括90歲的朝鮮名義國(guó)家元首金永南(Kim Yong Nam)。

The display, while later criticised and mocked in western and South Korean media, was lauded by US officials for not giving face to the “most oppressive regime on earth”.

這一姿態(tài)盡管后來在西方和韓國(guó)媒體上受到批評(píng)和嘲弄，但受到美國(guó)官員稱贊，稱不給“地球上最壓制的政權(quán)”面子。

The Pyongyang officials pulled out of the meeting the next day.

1 次日平壤官員取消了會(huì)晤。