巴基斯坦国防部长哈瓦贾·穆罕默德·阿西夫周二表示，巴基斯坦将使用“一切可用手段”保卫沙特阿拉伯，抵御伊朗支持的胡塞武装叛乱分子，这表明伊斯兰堡可能直接卷入不断扩大的地区冲突。
Pakistan will use “whatever means are available” to defend Saudi Arabia against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said Tuesday, signalling that Islamabad could become directly involved in the widening regional conflict.
阿西夫并未证实巴基斯坦军队是否已参与针对也门境内伊朗行动人员的空袭。但他表示，根据巴基斯坦、沙特阿拉伯和土耳其签署的一项新的共同防御协定，巴基斯坦的军事能力将为沙特阿拉伯所用。
阿西夫在访问罗马期间对记者说：“我不会透露细节，但显然当我说我们受这项安排约束必须保卫沙特阿拉伯时，意思就是我们手中的一切可用手段，也将可供沙特阿拉伯使用。”
Asif did not confirm whether Pakistani forces had already taken part in airstrikes against Iranian operators in Yemen. He said, however, that Pakistan’s military capabilities would be available to Saudi Arabia under a new mutual defence pact involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.“I’m not going into detail, but obviously when I say that we are bound by this arrangement to defend Saudi Arabia, that means whatever means are available at our disposal, they’ll be available to Saudi Arabia also,” Asif told reporters during a visit to Rome.
他的言论并未明确证实巴基斯坦参与了任何打击行动。他也没有说明利雅得是否已正式寻求军事援助。
三国军方首脑讨论胡塞武装袭击阿西夫发表上述言论前几天，巴基斯坦、土耳其和沙特阿拉伯的陆军参谋长在利雅得会晤，讨论应对胡塞武装袭击的对策。
His remarks did not explicitly confirm Pakistani involvement in any strikes. He also did not say whether Riyadh had formally sought military assistance.MILITARY CHIEFS DISCUSS HOUTHI ATTACKSAsif spoke days after the army chiefs of Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia met in Riyadh to discuss responses to attacks by the Houthis.
他说，叛军已加强对沙特阿拉伯的导弹和无人机袭击，同时扩大了对也门红海海岸的控制。
He said the rebels had stepped up missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia while expanding their control along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
胡塞武装最近攻占了战略要港城市摩卡和数个红海岛屿，将势力范围延伸至曼德海峡，全球约12%的贸易通过该海峡。叛军及其盟友伊拉克民兵还袭击了沙特石油设施，并试图阻止沙特油轮使用该水道。
The Houthis recently captured the strategic port city of Mokha and several Red Sea islands, extending their reach towards the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, through which about 12 per cent of global trade passes. The rebels and allied Iraqi militias have also attacked Saudi oil facilities and sought to prevent Saudi tankers from using the waterway.
阿西夫将胡塞武装描述为侵略者，并表示巴基斯坦对沙特阿拉伯的承诺很明确。
他说：“沙特阿拉伯的任何敌人都是巴基斯坦的敌人。这点应该非常清楚。”
沙巴土三国共同防御协定成形沙特阿拉伯、巴基斯坦和土耳其于8月7日签署了《麦加共同防御协定》，宣布对任何一成员国的攻击将被视为对三国的攻击。
Asif described the Houthis as aggressors and said Pakistan’s commitment to Saudi Arabia was clear.“Any enemy of Saudi Arabia is enemy of Pakistan. That should be very clear,” he said.SAUDI-PAK-TURKEY PACT TAKES SHAPESaudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on August 7, declaring that an attack on one member would be treated as an attack on all three.
这三个国家将这一联盟描述为防御性的，并表示该联盟并非针对任何特定国家。该联盟汇集了石油资源丰富的沙特阿拉伯、北约成员国土耳其以及拥有核武器的巴基斯坦。阿西夫没有提及核武器问题，也没有表示核武器是巴基斯坦对沙特阿拉伯承诺的一部分。沙特阿拉伯与胡塞武装之间的冲突升级，是对这一联盟的首次考验。
The three countries have described the pact as defensive and said it is not directed against any particular state. The agreement brings together oil-rich Saudi Arabia, NATO member Turkey and nuclear-armed Pakistan. Asif did not mention nuclear weapons or suggest they were part of Pakistan’s commitment to Saudi Arabia. The escalating fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis is an early test for the alliance.
该联盟的完整文本尚未公布，其指挥和运作机制仍在制定中。阿西夫表示，这三个国家正在建立相应的秘书处，并逐步完善联盟的框架；其他国家也表示有兴趣加入，但目前暂无扩大联盟规模的计划。他强调，该联盟反映了成员国们的共识：现有的安全安排未能有效保护海湾国家，尤其是在涉及伊朗的冲突蔓延至整个地区的情况下。“一旦冲突爆发，你就无法控制其结果或发展轨迹了，”阿西夫说道。
The full text of the pact has not been released, while its command and operational structures are still being developed. Asif said the three countries were establishing a secretariat and putting the alliance’s framework in place. Other countries have expressed interest in joining, he said, but there were no immediate plans to expand the grouping. He said the alliance reflected the members’ view that existing security arrangements had failed to protect Gulf countries as the conflict involving Iran spread across the region.“Once you start a conflict, you cannot control the outcome of that conflict. You cannot control the trajectory of that conflict,” Asif said.PAK MAINTAIN TIES WITH IRANIran has long supplied the Houthis with weapons and other assistance, although Tehran denies directing their military operations.
巴基斯坦与伊朗的关系长期以来，伊朗一直向胡塞武装提供武器和其他形式的援助，尽管德黑兰否认自己直接指挥他们的军事行动。阿西夫认为，胡塞武装以及一些伊拉克民兵组织现在可能在很大程度上独立于伊朗行事（即他们能够自主决策）。尽管巴基斯坦承诺在军事上支持沙特阿拉伯，但阿西夫也表示伊斯兰堡仍在推动通过谈判结束涉及伊朗的冲突，并支持重启有关伊朗核计划的谈判。今年早些时候，巴基斯坦曾试图发挥调解作用，与其他地区国家合作以结束这场冲突。
Asif suggested that the Houthis and some Iraqi militias could now be operating with significant independence from Iran.“Some of these proxies, they become rogue,” he said. Despite Pakistan’s commitment to support Saudi Arabia militarily, Asif said Islamabad was also pushing for negotiations to end the wider conflict involving Iran and supported reviving a negotiated agreement over Tehran’s nuclear programme. Pakistan had sought to position itself as a mediator earlier this year, working with other regional countries to end the conflict.
美国和伊朗之间的间接谈判已通过调解人的斡旋重新恢复，不过阿西夫并未详细说明巴基斯坦在这次谈判中的具体作用。今年4月，巴基斯坦在伊斯兰堡主持了伊朗与美国之间的罕见直接会谈。双方于6月达成了一项临时协议，并承诺在60天内努力达成最终协议；然而，随着敌对行动的再次爆发，这一最后期限未能被遵守。
Indirect talks between the US and Iran have since resumed through mediators, although Asif did not provide details about Pakistan’s involvement in the latest efforts. In April, Pakistan hosted rare direct talks between Iran and the United States in Islamabad. The two sides reached an interim agreement in June and committed to trying to reach a final deal within 60 days, but the deadline passed after hostilities resumed.
最近，巴基斯坦、土耳其和沙特阿拉伯的高级外交官也在联合国大会期间会面，讨论如何实施新的防务协议，以及如何协调对针对麦加及沙特阿拉伯其他目标的袭击的应对措施。
Top diplomats from Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia also met recently on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to discuss implementing the new defence pact and coordinating a response to attacks targeting Mecca and other sites in Saudi Arabia.- Ends