俄羅斯解除對伊朗S 300銷售禁令

Russia on Monday unblocked the sale to Iran of one of the world’s most advanced air-defence systems, in a move that will irk the US and other world powers involved in talks to limit Tehran’s nuclear programme.

週一，俄羅斯解除了向伊朗銷售S-300系統的禁令，此舉或激怒美國及其他參加限制伊朗核計劃談判的國家。S-300系統是目前世界上最先進的防空系統之一。

President Vladimir Putin cancelled a decree under which he had banned delivery of the S-300 system to the Islamic Republic in September 2009, a restriction imposed under intense diplomatic pressure from the US and Israel.

俄羅斯總統弗拉基米爾•普京(Vladimir Putin)取消了一項禁止向伊朗提供S-300系統的禁令。該禁令是2009年9月，普京在美國和以色列的強大外交壓力下提出的。

His move comes at a highly sensitive point in the negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme, with the White House attempting to sell this month’s framework agreement with Tehran to a highly sceptical US Congress.

普京此舉恰逢伊朗核計劃磋商進入高度敏感時刻，白宮方面正試圖向十分多疑的美國國會推銷本月與伊朗政府達成的框架協議。

Opponents of the nuclear deal — which imposes conditions on Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief — see the resumption of Russian arms sales as evidence of Iran winning space to hone its capabilities and better protect nuclear facilities from outside military action.

伊朗核協議爲伊朗的核計劃設置了限制條件，以換取其他國家解除對伊朗的制裁。該協議的反對者認爲，俄羅斯恢復對伊軍售證明，伊朗贏得了鍛鍊自身能力、更好地保護其核設施免受外來軍事攻擊的空間。

On Monday, Yuval Steinitz, the Israeli intelligence minister, said that the green light for S-300 sales was “a direct result of the legitimisation that Iran is receiving from the nuclear deal” this month, of which Israel’s government has been fiercely critical.

週一，以色列情報部長尤瓦爾•施泰尼茨(Yuval Steinitz)表示，S-300系統銷售解禁是這個月“核計劃協議賦予伊朗合法性的直接後果”。以色列政府對該協議始終持強烈批評態度。

“Instead of demanding Iran stop its terrorist activities which it is spreading in the Middle East and around the world, they are enabling it to arm with advanced weapons which will only increase its aggression,” Mr Steinitz said.

施泰尼茨表示：“他們並未要求伊朗停止在中東和全球不斷蔓延的恐怖活動。相反，他們卻令伊朗得以裝備先進武器，這隻會增加伊朗的侵略行爲。”

Washington and Israel have long objected to the possible sale of the S-300s to Iran, saying they would destabilise the military balance in the region. Since 2006 successive US presidents have raised the issue with Mr Putin.

長期以來，美國政府和以色列政府一直反對向伊朗銷售S-300系統，並表示這麼做會打破該地區軍事平衡。自2006年以來，連續多任美國總統都曾向普京提出這個問題。

The Obama administration played down the potential impact of the Russian announcement. Marie Harf, spokeswoman at the state department, said that the US does “not believe it’s constructive at this time for Russia to move forward with” the sale of the missiles. However, she added that “we don’t think this will have an impact on unity in terms of inside the negotiating rooms”.

奧巴馬政府則試圖淡化俄羅斯聲明的潛在影響。美國國務院發言人瑪麗•哈夫(Marie Harf)表示，美國“認爲，俄羅斯在這個節點上推進”對伊導彈銷售“毫無建設性”。不過，她補充說“我們認爲這不會影響談判桌上的團結”。

US secretary of state John Kerry talked to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on Monday and repeated Washington’s longstanding concerns about the potential deal, she said.

她說，美國國務卿約翰•克里(John Kerry)週一與俄羅斯外長謝爾蓋•拉夫羅夫(Sergei Lavrov)舉行了磋商，並重申了美國政府長期以來對俄伊潛在協議的擔憂。

Some analysts in the US questioned whether Russia would actually ever deliver the missiles.

美國部分分析人士則質疑俄羅斯是否真的會向伊朗供應這批導彈。