【5月18日】看軍聞學英語

■林國賓

原文：

The absence of a formal agreement after just one day of direct engagement between Iran and the US – their first high-level face-to-face interaction since 1979 – should not be interpreted as a diplomatic failure. It is more accurately viewed as an important early-stage achievement for Pakistan in its role as facilitator and host.

In international diplomacy, especially where relationships are defined by deep mistrust, ideological hostility and decades of broken communication, the first and most difficult step is often not agreement but access: getting adversaries to sit together and speak directly after years of silence.

A closer examination of the Islamabad meetings supports this reading.　The US and Iran have lacked formal diplomatic relations for decades, and even indirect communication between them has often been inconsistent.

Against this backdrop, creating conditions in which both parties agreed to engage face-to-face at a senior level reflects a high degree of confidence in Pakistan’s neutrality, diplomatic credibility and ability to manage a sensitive and potentially volatile environment.

中譯：

伊朗與美國在僅進行一天的直接接觸後，未能達成正式協議，但這是自1979年以來雙方首次高層面對面互動，不應被解讀為外交失敗。更恰當的評價是，對於身為促成者與東道主的巴基斯坦而言，這是一項重要的初期成果。

在國際外交中，特別是在彼此關係長期建立於深層不信任、意識形態對立，以及溝通中斷的情況下，最初且最困難的一步，往往不是達成協議，而是取得接觸機會，促使對立雙方在多年沉默後，能夠坐下來進行直接對話。

進一步檢視伊斯蘭馬巴德會談，可支持此一觀點。美國與伊朗數十年來缺乏正式外交關係，即便是間接溝通亦時常不穩定。

在此背景下，能夠創造條件，使雙方同意以高層級面對面接觸，反映出各方對巴基斯坦中立性、外交可信度，以及其掌控敏感且可能高度不穩定局勢能力的高度信任。

-關鍵軍語-

※facilitator：促成者（外交斡旋方）

※ideological hostility：意識形態對立