北韩愿讨论解除核武器初步行动

北韩愿讨论解除核武器初步行动 (North Korea Ready to Discuss Initial Steps of Nuclear Disarmament)

围绕北韩核项目的新一轮六方会谈星期四在北京举行。北韩表示，愿意就解除核武器的初始步骤进行讨论。

北韩谈判代表金桂冠表示，他准备好讨论第一阶段的措施，但是北韩的任何行动都要看美国是否放弃对平壤的“敌对政策”。

美国助理国务卿希尔早些时候表示，他希望北韩能重新对2005年达成的协议做出承诺。根据协议，北韩同意放弃自己的核项目，以换取外交和经济上的好处。

由于美国对北韩实行金融制裁，北韩对六方会谈抵制了一年多的时间，去年十月进行核试验后才同意回到谈判桌。

North Korea says it is ready to discuss initial steps of its nuclear disarmament, as six-party talks on Pyongyang's nuclear program got underway in Beijing (today/Thursday).

North Korea's envoy to the talks, Kim Kye-Kwan, said he was prepared to discuss first-stage measures but that any moves by North Korea will be based on whether the U.S. will give up what he referred to as its "hostile policy" towards Pyongyang.

Earlier, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said he hopes North Korea will recommit to a deal reached in September 2005, when it agreed to roll back its nuclear program in exchange for diplomatic and economic incentives.

North Korea had boycotted the nuclear talks for more than a year because of U.S. financial sanctions against the state. It returned to the negotiating table late last year after conducting a nuclear test in October.

白宫为布什在气候变化问题上的纪录辩护 (US Defends Bush Record on Climate Change)

白宫表示，布什总统在任期间，一向高度重视气候变化和全球变暖的问题。

在星期三公布的一份“公开信”中，白宫官员详细说明了布什行政当局在气候变化方面所作的研究和布什总统2001年以来在这个问题上的说法。

这份公开信似乎是希望纠正某些政府官员所说的、最近媒体在这个问题上的错误报导。媒体报导说，布什总统只是在最近才把注意力转到气候变化的问题上来。

这封公开信指出，在2003年到2006年期间，布什总统批准在气候变化和有关项目的研究方面所投入的资金，每年差不多有30亿美元，这比任何其他国家在这个问题上的投资都要多。

公开信还引用国际能源机构的报告说，2000到2004年期间，美国排放的二氧化碳总量上升了1.7%；相比之下，欧盟各国则上涨了5%。

The White House says climate change and global warming has been a top-priority issue throughout President Bush's time in office.

In an "open letter" (released Wednesday), White House officials detail the Bush administration's work on climate-change research, and recount the president's statements on the issue since June 2001.

The statement appears to be an attempt to correct what U.S. officials say are recent erroneous media reports contening that Mr. Bush has only recently turned his attention to climate change.

President Bush committed almost three billion dollars a year from 2003 through 2006 for climate-change research and related programs. The open letter says this spending is higher than any other country's efforts on such issues.

The letter also cites a report (by the International Energy Agency saying) that U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions rose one-point-seven percent from 2000 to 2004, compared to a five-percent increase in the European Union.