米露首脳会談 シリア内戦収拾へ妥協を探れ

The Yomiuri Shimbun
U.S., Russia must find common ground to bring an end to Syria’s civil war
米露首脳会談　シリア内戦収拾へ妥協を探れ

The United States and Russia must try to find common ground to help bring an end to the civil war in Syria, which has killed more than 220,000 people and forced a massive number of people to flee as refugees.
　２２万人以上の死者と大量の難民を生み出したシリア内戦の収拾に向け、米国とロシアは妥協点を探らねばならない。

On the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting, U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin held their first talks in about two years. On the Syrian issue, Obama expressed his view to call for President Bashar Assad to step down, stressing that stability in Syria would be impossible as long as the Assad administration stays in power.
　オバマ米大統領は、国連総会出席を機に、プーチン露大統領と約２年ぶりに会談した。シリア情勢について、「アサド政権が続く限り、シリアの安定はあり得ない」と強調し、アサド大統領の退陣を求める考えを示した。

Putin took a different tack and clearly expressed support for the Assad administration, describing it as a “bulwark” against extremist groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which has expanded its control over parts of Syria and Iraq.
　プーチン氏は、シリアやイラクに勢力を拡大する「イスラム国」など「過激派組織に対する防壁だ」と、逆に政権支援を明言した。

The leaders of the United States and Russia have been at loggerheads over issues including the situation in Ukraine, but they did jointly recognize the importance of quickly wiping out ISIL. However, they remain far apart in their views on whether the Assad administration should be allowed any involvement in Syria’s future.
　ウクライナ情勢などを巡って対立する米露首脳は、「イスラム国」の早期掃討が重要だとの認識では一致している。しかし、アサド政権を関与させることの是非に関して、溝は埋まらなかった。

A chaotic civil war including the military forces under the control of the Assad administration and several antigovernment organizations continues for more than four years. The vacuum of power in parts of Syria has helped promote the growth of extremist groups, including ISIL. Assad’s army is at a disadvantage against its enemies, and the government now controls only about one-quarter of Syria, mainly in the west of that nation.
　アサド政権軍と複数の反体制派組織が入り乱れる内戦は、４年を超えた。力の空白は、「イスラム国」など過激派伸長を招く要因となっている。アサド政権軍は劣勢に立たされ、支配地域も西部など国土の約４分の１に縮小した。

Dealing with the Syrian issue, from where the threat of terrorism is proliferating, is an urgent task.
　テロの脅威を拡散するシリアへの対処は急務である。

Tricky diplomatic path

At a press conference after his talks with Obama, Putin criticized airstrikes conducted by nations such as the United States and France against ISIL targets to weaken that group, saying they were “illegal” because they had not been requested by Syria.
　プーチン氏は会談後、記者団に、「イスラム国」の弱体化を狙った米仏などの空爆は、シリアの要請がなく「不法だ」と非難した。

Russia has started airstrikes of its own to support the Assad administration. Moscow has set up an air base inside Syria and deployed fighter jets and tanks there. It has dispatched military advisers to Syria and will exchange strategic information with Iran and Iraq, which are close to the Assad government.
　ロシアは、アサド政権支援のため、空爆を始めた。シリアに航空基地を整備し、戦闘機や戦車を配備していた。顧問団を派遣し、アサド政権に近いイラン、イラクと作戦情報も交換する。

Russia is attempting to prop up the Assad government under the name of building an “antiterrorism coalition” that adds Syria and Iran to the U.S.-led “coalition of the willing.”
　ロシアは、米主導の「有志連合」にシリアとイランを加えた「反テロ連合」構築を名目に、アサド政権を温存しようとしている。

If the Russian military intervenes under the banner of trying to prolong the Assad government for as long as possible, while disregarding the numerous atrocities committed by the administration, the fighting in Syria could actually escalate. There are fears an accidental clash could occur with the United States and France.
　政権の数々の残虐行為を顧みず、露軍が政権永続化を掲げて介入すれば、内戦は、かえって激化しかねない。米仏との偶発的な衝突が起きる事態も懸念される。

Obama was quite right to strongly oppose this step by Moscow. It is obvious that the Assad administration lacks legitimacy.
　オバマ氏が強く反発したのは当然だろう。アサド政権が正統性を欠くことは、論を待たない。

The United States has been providing military training to moderate Syrian antigovernment groups as it seeks to topple the Assad government and defeat ISIL. However, these efforts have not produced tangible results. Obama’s strategy has reached a deadlock.
　「イスラム国」とアサド政権の打倒を目指す米国は、シリアの穏健反体制派に軍事訓練を行ってきたが、成果は見られない。オバマ氏の戦略は行き詰まっている。

The United States also cannot resolve this problem just by demanding that Assad step down. In Europe, which is being directly affected by the flood of arriving refugees, there is an emerging opinion that negotiations with Assad also might be unavoidable.
　米国も、「アサド退陣」を訴えるだけでは、問題は解決しない。大量の難民流入に直面する欧州では、アサド大統領との交渉もやむなしとの声が出始めた。

Pressing ahead with diplomacy that curbs any increase in the strength of ISIL while also anticipating a transition to a new regime — this will be a difficult process, but unless the United States and Russia, the two major powers, act in concert, the situation in Syria will not improve.
　「イスラム国」の勢力拡大を抑えつつ、新体制への移行を見据えた外交を進める。困難な道のりだが、米露両大国が足並みをそろえなくては、事態は改善しまい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 1, 2015)Speech