12-12-2005

東盟同意起草憲章推動民主原則(ASEAN Agrees to Draft Charter Promoting Democratic Principles)

東盟10個成員國領導人在馬來西亞吉隆坡結束了他們為期一天的會議。各國同意起草一份促進民主原則和良政的東盟憲章。

這一憲章將是具有38年曆史的東盟的第一個憲章，而且具有法律約束力。憲章將對象緬甸這樣的成員國進行民主改革施加壓力。

星期一，代表們還討論了包括禽流感以及中國和印度日益增強的經濟實力等問題。

目前還沒有關於日本和中國、南韓的關係取得突破的報導。日本領導人近來再次參拜有爭議的靖國神社，使原計劃在峰會期間舉行的三方正式會談被取消。

Ten Southeast Asian nations meeting in Kuala Lumpur have ended their one-day meeting with an agreement to draft a charter promoting democratic principles and good governance.

The charter will be the first for the 38-year-old Association of Southeast Asian Nations and would make its agreements legally binding. The charter could help pressure wayward member countries such as Burma toward democratic reforms.

Also Monday, delegates discussed issues such as bird flu and the growing economic power of China and India.

There were no reported breakthroughs in relations between Japan and its neighbors China and Korea. Planned formal talks among the three at the summit were scrapped after Japan's leader recently again visited a controversial war shrine.

伊拉克選舉開始提前投票(Early Voting Underway in Iraq)

伊拉克軍人、監獄在押人員和醫院病人在公眾投票的3天前開始議會選舉投票。同時，有7人在巴格達被反叛分子打死。

在星期一的反叛分子暴力行動中，1名美軍在巴格達死於路邊炸彈襲擊。一枚汽車炸彈在巴格達的另一地方導致至少兩人喪生。幾起槍戰導致4名伊拉克人死亡，其中至少包括1名警官。

Iraqi soldiers, prisoners and hospital patients have begun voting in parliamentary elections, three days before general balloting. The early votes were cast as insurgents killed seven people in Baghdad.

In insurgent violence today (Monday), a roadside bomb killed a U.S. soldier in Baghdad. A car bomb killed at least two people in another part of the city. And several gunfights left four Iraqis dead, including at least one police officer.