日本将与北韩会谈讨论关系正常化

日本将与北韩会谈讨论关系正常化 Japan, North Korea to Hold Talks on Normalizing Ties

日本表示，下星期将就关系正常化问题与北韩举行会谈。日本内阁官房长官盐崎宫久星期三说，双方3月7号和8号将在越南首都河内会晤。他说，两国3月6号将先举行一次非正式会谈。

预计，日本将努力争取解决双方因北韩几十年前绑架日本公民而引起的争端。这个问题一直阻碍两国关系正常化。

这次会议是最新一轮有关北韩核项目危机的六方会谈达成协议的一部分。在协议中，日本和美国都同意开始与北韩进行关系正常化的会谈。

Japan says it will hold talks with North Korea next week on normalizing relations. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yasuhiso Shiozaki, said Wednesday that the two sides will meet in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, March seventh and eighth. He says the two countries will also hold an informal meeting March sixth.

Japan is expected to push for resolution of the dispute over Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korean agents decades ago. The issue has prevented the two sides from normalizing relations.

The meeting is part of an agreement reached at the last round of six-party talks on crisis of the North Korean nuclear project, in which both Tokyo and the United States agreed to begin talks on normalizing ties with North Korea.

空中客车公司宣布重组裁员一万 Airbus Unveils Restructuring Plan, Up to 10,000 Layoffs

欧洲飞机制造商空中客车星期三宣布重组计划，包括裁员大约1万人。裁员主要集中在法国和德国。这两个国家是空中客车的主要生产基地，但是英国和西班牙的工厂也面临裁员。空中客车还将出售几家工厂，以削减开支。

法国北部的一个空中客车工厂星期二自发举行罢工，抗议裁员计划。空中客车工会领袖星期二在布鲁塞尔开会协调行动策略后，威胁要举行更多的罢工。

德国总理默克尔和法国总统希拉克上星期都呼吁空中客车避免强制性裁员，并确保德法两国公平分摊裁员数量。

European plane maker Airbus unveiled its restructuring plan Wednesday, including up to 10-thousand job cuts. The majority of layoffs will be in France and Germany, where most Airbus production is based, but factories in Britain and Spain also face job cuts. Airbus will also sell several factories to reduce costs.

Workers at an Airbus factory in northern France held a spontaneous strike Tuesday to protest the planned layoffs. Also Tuesday, Airbus union leaders threatened further strikes after meeting in Brussels to coordinate strategies.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Jacques Chirac called last week for Airbus to avoid forced layoffs and ensure job cuts are fairly distributed between the two countries.