American officials are preparing for Israel and the Palestinians to restart direct peace talks. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the plans on Friday in Washington.
美国官员正在为以色列和巴勒斯坦重启直接和谈做准备。国务卿希拉里·克林顿（Hillary Clinton）上周五在华盛顿宣布了该项计划。
HILLARY CLINTON: "I've invited Israeli Prime Minister Netayahu and Palestinian Authority President Abbas to meet on September second in Washington, D.C., to relaunch direction negotiations to resolve all final status issues, which we believe can be completed within one year."
克林顿：“美方已经邀请以色列总理内塔尼亚胡和巴勒斯坦权力机构主席阿巴斯于9月2日在华盛顿会见，重启解决所有最终地位问题的直接谈判，美方相信谈判能够在一年内结束。”
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah are also invited. The plan is for President Obama to meet with the four leaders on September first.
美国还邀请了埃及总统胡斯尼·穆巴拉克（Hosni Mubarak）和约旦国王阿卜杜拉（Abdullah）参加会谈。奥巴马总统计划将于9月1日会见四位领导人。
Secretary Clinton warned that more difficulties can be expected.
克林顿预计将会困难重重。
HILLARY CLINTON: "Without a doubt we will hit more obstacles. The enemies of peace will keep trying to defeat us and to derail these talks."
克林顿：“无疑我们将遇到更多障碍。和平的敌人将不断企图扰乱会谈并击败我们。”
Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that rules Gaza, has already denounced the talks.
占据加沙的巴勒斯坦激进组织哈马斯对会谈做出谴责。
Direct talks ended almost two years ago. But George Mitchell, the American special envoy for Middle East peace, has traveled between the two sides for months of indirect, or proximity, talks. He says the United States is ready to suggest compromises, or "bridging proposals," as needed during the talks.
直接会谈已搁浅将近2年。但美国中东和平特使乔治·米歇尔（George Mitchell）为间接或近距离会谈已穿梭于双方数月之久。他说，美国愿意在会谈需要的时候提出起桥梁作用的建议。
Secretary Clinton said the talks should take place without preconditions. The secretary said she and President Obama were "encouraged" by the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhayu and President Mahmoud Abbas
克林顿说直接会谈应在不设条件下进行。克林顿还说，她和奥巴马总统受到了以色列总理内塔尼亚胡和巴勒斯坦权力机构主席阿巴斯的领导作用的鼓舞。
She said they all share the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living peacefully side by side. The "final status" issues also include issues like refugees and the future of Jerusalem.
她说，以色列总理内塔尼亚胡和巴勒斯坦权力机构主席阿巴斯提出了两国和平并存的解决目标。“最终地位”问题，也包括像难民问题和耶路撒冷地位问题。
On a separate issue, President Obama this week faced strong criticism in the debate over a proposed Islamic center in New York. The property is two blocks from Ground Zero, what people call the site where the twin towers were destroyed.
另一方面，奥巴马本周在拟建纽约伊斯兰文化中心的争议中，遭到了强烈的批评。该建筑距离Ground Zero两个街区，Ground Zero也就是人们常说的世贸中心双子楼废墟。
Al-Qaida attacked the World Trade Center on September eleventh, two thousand one. Opponents say it is offensive to build a Muslim site that includes a mosque less than a kilometer away.
2001年9月11日基地组织袭击了世贸中心。反对者说在距离世贸中心废墟不到一公里远的地方，修建包含清真寺的穆斯林建筑是一种冒犯。
Republicans and other criticized the president over comments he made last Friday. He was speaking to guests at an iftar dinner at the White House celebrating the holy month of Ramadan.
共和党及其他人批评了奥巴马上周五在白宫一个庆祝斋月的晚宴上对宾客做出的表态。
BARACK OBAMA: "Ground Zero is indeed hallowed ground. But let me be clear, as a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. And that includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan."
奥巴马：“Ground Zero的确神圣。但我清楚，身为美国公民与总统，我相信穆斯林和所有美国人一样，享有宗教自由的权利。这包括有权在曼哈顿南部的私人地产建伊斯兰朝拜场所和社区中心。”
Later he said that he was not commenting on "the wisdom" of the decision.
随后他表示说，他并非就该决定“是否明智”发表评论。
But the top Democrat in the Senate, Harry Reid, did comment. Senator Reid is fighting for re-election this November in Nevada.
但参议院民主党领袖瑞德（Harry Reid）发表了评论。瑞德正为今年11月内华达州改选而努力。
HARRY REID: "It's very obvious that the mosque should be built someplace else."
瑞德：“这很明显，清真寺应该建在其他地方。”
New York City officials have approved the project. Supporters say it will help bridge divisions between the West and the Muslim world.
纽约市官员已批准该项目。支持者说，这将有助于缩小西方与穆斯林世界的分歧。
By many estimates, the United States has about two thousand mosques. But surveys show American public opinion is mostly against what some critics call the "Ground Zero Mosque." And some construction workers say they would refuse to build it.
据大多数的估计，美国大约有2000座清真寺。但民意调查显示，美国公众舆论大多数反对批评人士所称的“Ground zero清真寺。”而一些建筑工人说，他们将拒绝参与兴建。
The prayer room would be part of a one-hundred-million-dollar Muslim cultural center. A group of American Sufi Muslims has purchased the property to build it.
祈祷室将是这个耗资一亿多美元的穆斯林文化中心的一部分。美国苏菲派穆斯林集团已购买地产进行兴建。
注释：2001年9月11日，纽约世贸中心遇袭，举世震惊。原高约415米的两座双子大楼轰然倒塌的一幕，成为21世纪初让所有人无法忘怀的镜头。911事件后，原意为导弹目标或核装置爆炸点的“归零地（Ground Zero）”一词，成为世贸中心一片废墟的代称。