歐洲談判停滯 希臘或向俄羅斯求援

ATHENS, Greece — With the prospect of a default looming in Greece, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is preparing to meet next week with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia as a European deal to give more aid to Athens falters.

希臘雅典——隨着一項涉及歐洲爲希臘提供更多援助的協議陷於停滯，希臘債務違約的可能近在眼前。希臘總理亞歷克西斯·齊普拉斯(Alexis Tsipras)準備下周與俄羅斯總統弗拉基米爾·V·普京(Vladimir V. Putin)會面。

The timing has raised questions of whether the visit is an ordinary component of the new Greek government’s multipronged foreign policy, or a pivot toward Russia for financial aid in the event that Greece’s talks with European officials collapse.

這一時機選擇讓人猜測，此次訪問是新一屆希臘政府多管齊下的外交政策中一個正常的組成部分，還是希臘在轉向俄羅斯，以便在與歐洲官員的談判破裂時，向俄羅斯尋求經濟援助。

Negotiations between the struggling Greek government and its creditors stumbled anew on Monday after European leaders said that a reform plan submitted over the weekend to unlock a fresh lifeline of 7.2 billion euros, or about $7.8 billion, fell short. Greece has warned that it may run out of money soon after Mr. Tsipras meets with Mr. Putin on April 8.

週一，處境堪憂的希臘政府與債權人之間的談判再次受挫。歐洲領導人稱希臘週末提交的改革計劃力度還不夠，提交這項計劃的目的是取得72億歐元（約合480億元人民幣）的一筆新救援資金。希臘警告稱，齊普拉斯4月8日與普京會面後不久，資金可能就會告罄。

Mr. Tsipras, who came to power in January, originally planned to travel to Moscow in May. But he accelerated the meeting with Mr. Putin a couple of weeks ago as Greece came to loggerheads with Germany and other European countries over the terms for releasing the money. Without it, Greece could go bankrupt or possibly exit the 19-nation eurozone, an event that, if it happened, could increase instability in the region.

今年1月上臺的齊普拉斯原計劃5月訪問莫斯科。但幾周前，隨着希臘就發放那筆資金的條款，與德國及其他歐洲國家發生了爭執，齊普拉斯提前了與普京會面的時間。若沒有那筆錢，希臘可能會破產，或退出由19個成員國組成的歐元區。如果希臘退出，可能會加劇該地區的不穩定。

Mr. Tsipras’s visit to Moscow is being billed by Athens as a routine meeting to strengthen the relationship between the countries, which have longstanding political and religious ties. But some Greek officials have suggested that Athens might be tempted to assess whether Russia, which is itself squaring off with Europe over the conflict in Ukraine, could be willing to ride in as a white knight if Europe steps back.

希臘聲稱，齊普拉斯訪問莫斯科是一次常規會晤，旨在加強兩國之間的關係。希臘和俄羅斯之間有悠久的政治和宗教聯繫。但一些希臘官員表示，希臘政府可能忍不住會評估，如果歐洲退後，俄羅斯是否願意出手搭救。當前，俄羅斯本身也在因爲烏克蘭境內的衝突，而與歐洲處於對抗態勢。

“This is an attempt to ratchet up the pressure on the rest of the eurozone to make concessions to Greece,” said Simon Tilford, the deputy director of the Center for European Reform in London.

“這是企圖向歐元區其他成員加大施壓力度，使其向希臘讓步，”倫敦歐洲改革中心(Center for European Reform)副主任西蒙·蒂爾福德(Simon Tilford)說。

If so, he added, it is a gamble that could backfire. “Flirting with Russia is guaranteed to antagonize the rest of the eurozone,” Mr. Tilford said. “It will make it harder for those in Germany who were arguing for a more conciliatory line toward Greece to keep it.”

他接着表示，如果是這樣，這便是一場可能會適得其反的賭博。“和俄羅斯調情，肯定會引起歐元區其他成員國的反感，”蒂爾福德說。“這會讓德國主張對希臘採取更溫和態度的那些人，更難堅持這樣的立場。”