蒂勒森:美國願意“坐下來”與朝鮮談判

US secretary of state Rex Tillerson has used his lengthiest enunciation of US foreign policy yet to reassure Kim Jong Un that the US does not seek to topple North Korea’s supreme leader or his regime and that Washington would like to “sit down” for talks.

美國國務卿雷克斯?蒂勒森(Rex Tillerson)闡明瞭美國的外交政策，希望讓金正恩(Kim Jong)相信，美國不尋求推翻朝鮮最高領導人或其政權，而且美國願意“坐下來”談判。這是蒂勒森闡明該問題所用時間最長的一次。

Mr Tillerson made the remarks on Tuesday in an unexpected and rare visit to reporters at the state department after months of uncertainty over the direction of US foreign policy, rampant apparent contradictions with President Donald Trump and a vacation that had stoked rumours he was considering resigning.

週二，蒂勒森令人意外、頗爲罕見地在國務院會見記者，發表了上述言論。此前，美國外交政策的方向在過去幾個月裏存在着不確定性，蒂勒森的意見明顯跟總統唐納德?特朗普(Donald Trump)非常矛盾，休假助長了他在考慮辭職的傳聞。

Senior defence and diplomatic officials have already said the US wants to avoid war with North Korea given its likely devastating impact, but Mr Tillerson made public in the clearest terms yet what officials have deliberated for months in private: that the US does not seek to topple Mr Kim or send US troops to invade. Those statements will probably appeal to both Pyongyang and Beijing and bolster the US position.

資深美國防務與外交官員已表示，鑑於可能的毀滅性後果，美國想避免與朝鮮爆發戰爭，但蒂勒森以最清晰的措辭，把官員們私下裏仔細考慮的內容公佈於衆：美國不需求推翻金正恩或派軍隊入侵朝鮮。這些說法將很可能引起朝鮮和中國的好感，並鞏固美國的地位。

“We are not your enemy?.?.?.?but you are presenting an unacceptable threat to us, and we have to respond,” he said. “And we hope that at some point they will begin to understand that and we would like to sit and have a dialogue with them.”

“我們不是你們的敵人……但你們對我們構成了一種難以接受的威脅，所以我們不得不做出迴應，”他說，“我希望，在某一時點，他們將開始明白這一點，我們願意坐下來跟他們來一場對話。”

North Korea has topped Mr Trump’s foreign policy agenda since the onset of his presidency but has fast approached crisis proportions after the regime launched its first two intercontinental ballistic missile tests last month — a potential nuclear capacity experts worry could come within range of US territory.

自特朗普就任總統以來，朝鮮問題就成了特朗普外交政策議程中的頭號問題，但在朝鮮上月首次進行兩枚洲際彈道導彈試射之後，該問題迅速接近危機狀態。專家擔心朝鮮會具有打擊美國本土的核能力。

Efforts to stem Pyongyang’s nuclear programme via a combination of tightening and expanding economic sanctions plus pressure via China have so far come to nought. China has instead backed a dual-track approach that would see North Korea and the US engage in face-to-face talks.

迄今，美國收緊、擴大經濟制裁與通過中國施壓並舉、根除朝鮮核項目的努力毫無成效。相反，中國支持一種雙軌方式，其中包括朝美未來進行面對面談判。

Mr Tillerson acknowledged the US policy of what he called “peaceful pressure” has so far yielded little success, but said it was the “appropriate” thing to try. He stopped short of blaming China for inaction, however, saying “only the North Koreans are to blame”. He also said the US would engage in talks only if Pyongyang accepted de-nuclearisation as its goal, a condition that has proved an impossible hurdle to clear in the past.

蒂勒森承認，他所謂“和平施壓”的美國政策迄今基本沒有成功，但表示，那是值得嘗試的“合適”做法。然而，他沒有譴責中國行動不力，表示“唯有朝鮮應受譴責”。他還表示，只有在朝鮮接受把無核化作爲目標，美國纔將與朝鮮談判。在過去，這一條件已被證明是一個不可逾越的障礙。

While hawks advocate threatening Mr Kim’s existence as the only means to worry him enough to bring him to the negotiating table, Mr Tillerson appears to be calculating that the prospect of regime stability and long-term economic prosperity would be more alluring to the authoritarian leader.

儘管鷹派提倡把威脅金正恩的生存作爲讓他感到足夠擔心、從而來到談判桌的唯一手段，但蒂勒森似乎認爲，政權穩固和長期經濟繁榮的前景將對這位專制領導人產生更大吸引力。

In earlier apparent efforts to explore other avenues, Mr Trump has suggested he would “be honoured” to meet Mr Kim and once suggested, during his campaign, he might eat a hamburger with him.

在此前明顯是探索其他手段的嘗試中，特朗普暗示，他將“很榮幸”會見金正恩，在競選中也曾暗示，他也許會跟金正恩一起吃漢堡。

Mr Trump has vacillated over the potential role of China, at times appearing to beseech it to handle North Korea — whose economy depends overwhelmingly on trade with Beijing — or expressing exasperation it has not done enough.

特朗普對中國的潛在角色搖擺不定，有時似乎是懇請中國解決朝鮮問題——朝鮮經濟極其依賴對華貿易——或者是對中國做得不夠表示惱怒。

Relations with China are “at a bit of a pivot point”, Mr Tillerson said of America’s relationship with the world’s second-largest economy, referring to four decades of peace between the two countries. He said he hoped they could deal with their emerging differences, including over North Korea, “in a way that does not lead to open conflict”.

美中關係或多或少“處於一個轉折點”，蒂勒森在談起美國與全球第二大經濟體的關係時表示。他指的是兩國之間長達40年的和平。他說，他希望美中兩國能處理好正在顯現的分歧——包括在朝鮮問題方面的分歧——“不要造成兩國公開衝突”。