原文网址：http://kuso.cc/3OYY France and Afghanistan To stay or not to stay Aug 28th 2008 | PARIS From The Economist print edition The debate over whether to keep French troops in Afghanistan heats up THE era of easy foreign missions is over,” declared France’s senior general, Jean-Louis Georgelin. “We are witnessing a return of missions of war.” To British or American ears, grimly accustomed by now to the return of body bags from faraway places, the general’s remarks were commonplace. But the French are still reeling from the loss of ten soldiers in an ambush in Afghanistan on August 18th, their worst death toll in a single attack since the bombing of a French barracks in Beirut a quarter-century ago. President Nicolas Sarkozy has now brought forward a parliamentary vote on whether to keep extra French troops in Afghanistan to an extraordinary session to be held on September 22nd. 「简单外交任务的时代已经结束了。」法国的资深将领Jean-Louis Georgelin如是说。「战争任务正重新成为主角。」对英国人和美国 人来说，这位法国将领的话并无新意，因为遥远异乡回来的屍袋英 美两国人已经看得太多了。但是法国人还没从8月18日，10名法军士 兵在阿富汗遭伏击丧生的冲击中恢复过来。这次伏击是自25年前法 国军营在贝鲁特遭轰炸以来，单一攻击事件死亡人数最多的一次。 法国总统萨科奇将於9月22日的特别议会中提出国会表决，决定是否 要让额外的法国驻军继续留在阿富汗。 Under France’s new constitutional rules, Mr Sarkozy must secure parliamentary backing for any French military operation abroad that lasts for more than four months. He recently sent an additional battalion of 700 soldiers to join the existing ones in the NATO force in Afghanistan, and their continued presence will need parliamentary approval. The reason Mr Sarkozy has chosen to bring forward the vote is a sudden political chorus of concern about the risks and merits of putting more French lives at risk. 根据法国新的宪法规定，萨科奇总统必须要确保法国所有在海外超 过4个月的军事行动有国会的支持。萨科奇最近派出一营700名的士 兵加入北约於阿富汗的驻军，这批士兵要持续留在阿富汗的话，必 须得到国会的认可。萨科奇之所以突然要举行国会表决的原因是： 政坛上突然冒出许多声音，担忧派出更多法军的利弊和这些士兵的 安危。 Politicians from all sides are well aware of the fact that sending more French soldiers to Afghanistan was unpopular. In April, when Mr Sarkozy decided to do it, 68% of respondents told BVA, a polling group, that they were against the idea. The Socialists even called (and lost) a vote of no confidence to protest at a “strategic alignment” with America. Now, after the recent deaths, fully 55% of respondents have told CSA, another pollster, that they favour a withdrawal of all French troops. 所有政治人物都知道对阿富汗增兵是不受欢迎的一项决策。四月时， 萨科奇总统做出增兵的决定。当时，民调机构BVA的调查显示，68％ 的受访者反对这项决策。社会党发起不信任投票，抗议这项与美国 的「策略配合」，但是最後表决输了。法军受伏击身亡的事件发生 後，另一个民调机构CSA作了调查，55％的受访者表示他们希望所 有法军撤离。 Yet Mr Sarkozy is highly unlikely to lose the vote next month. Despite concern in many quarters, most of his party, which has a solid majority, will back him. Perhaps the most vocal advocate of a pull-out is Olivier Besancenot, a minority figure on the far left. The Socialist Party is tied in knots by an internal leadership battle and also, as usual, split. Its former leader, Lionel Jospin, backed French participation in the NATO force in Afghanistan after the September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks. Even now, despite siren voices urging it on, the party is not calling for a withdrawal. It is critical, rather, of what many see as slavish obedience to an American-led mission over which it has little influence, and of the “military impasse” there. “France has to make its particular voice heard,” pleaded Pierre Moscovici, the Socialists’ foreign-affairs spokesman, this week, “which is not that of the United States.” 但是萨科奇下个月不太可能输掉表决。虽然有许多人担忧，但是萨 科奇的政党有稳固的多数优势，他们会支持萨科奇。倡议撤军喊最 大声的是极左少数党的Olivier Besancenot。社会党因为内部的领 导权之争而自缚手脚，而且一如往常，党内意见纷歧。社会党前党 魁Lionel Jospin在911事件发生後支持法国派军加入北约在阿富汗 的兵力。即便现在有人跳出来呼吁，社会党还是没有提议撤军。许 多人将萨科奇的作为视作卑躬屈膝追随美国主导的军事任务，而且 法国在其中没什麽影响力，阿富汗的状况又陷入军事僵局。社会党 对这些面向倒是批评甚力。社会党的外交事务发言人Pierre Moscovici这礼拜指出：「法国必须要表明自己的意见和主张，而不 是跟着美国。」 Mr Sarkozy has two specific challenges if he is to stop the public’s spirits sagging even further over Afghanistan. The first is to answer questions about military preparedness. Many of the soldiers killed, almost all aged between 18 and 22, had recently signed up and only just arrived in Afghanistan. The French commander on the ground, Michel Stollsteiner, conceded to reporters that the unit surprised by the ambush suffered from “over-confidence”. In a parliamentary hearing this week in Paris, Herve Morin, the defence minister, said he was considering sending drones to bolster intelligence there. 如要防止社会大众对阿富汗战事的士气继续低落，萨科奇必须面对 两个挑战。第一是要讲清楚说明白：军队是否有充足准备？很多丧 命的士兵都是最近才入伍，也才刚到阿富汗，其中大部分年纪都在 18到22岁之间。法军的前线指挥官Michel Stollsteiner 对记者承 认说，受到伏击的部队「太过自信而掉以轻心」。这礼拜在巴黎举 行的国会听证会上，国防部长Herve Morin表示他考虑要派遣无人 飞机以提升情搜能力。 The second, broader task will be to persuade the French of the general interest in participating in the NATO operation, despite the risk to soldiers’ lives. The media have reported relatively little about NATO’s trials in Afghanistan, and the public seems surprised to learn how perilous the situation there has become. There was debate in Paris this week about whether to call the French engagement a “peacekeeping” mission—or simply “war”. 第二个面向更广的任务是要说服法国人民，虽然有士兵安危的疑虑 ，但是参加北约行动是具有整体利益的。媒体对於北约在阿富汗的 困境报导相对较少，因此一般大众在获知当地情势的危险後似乎都 很惊讶。这礼拜在巴黎出现了论辩，讨论到底该称法军的战斗行动 是「维和任务」或是「战争」？ In his speech to the diplomatic corps on August 27th, Mr Sarkozy dwelt on the need for France to stay to fight a “ just cause” and help to protect itself from global terror threats. He argues that France can maintain credibility as a world actor only if it pulls its weight. He made clear in his lightning visits to Kabul and to the base in southern France that lost many of the soldiers that he is committed to keeping French troops in Afghanistan, and that it was right to boost their numbers. “If I had to do it again,” he concluded, “I would”. 萨科奇总统於8月27日对外交使节团发表演讲，他详细解释说，法 军有必要留在阿富汗为「正义而战」，并且保护法国免受全球恐怖 主义的威胁。萨科奇说，法国必须要奉献心力，才能保有自己身为 世界一份子的信誉。萨科奇闪电出访喀布尔和法国南部的军事基地 ，这座基地失去了不少士兵。萨科奇明确表示他坚持法军必须持续 留在阿富汗，增兵也是正确的决定。他说：「如果要我再作一次决 策，我还是会这样做。」 --

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