西班牙和委内瑞拉看来即将展开一场外交对峙，此前西班牙的一位法官周一指控委内瑞拉政府与叛乱组织合谋、企图暗杀哥伦比亚总统乌力贝 (Alvaro Uribe)等政界高层人物。
Spain and Venezuela appeared headed for a diplomatic face-off after a Spanish judge on Monday accused Caracas of collaborating with rebel groups to assassinate Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and other top political figures.
西班牙国家法院法官贝拉斯科(Eloy Velasco)周一指控称，委内瑞拉政府从2003年底开始与巴斯克分裂组织“埃塔”(ETA)和哥伦比亚主要游击组织合谋暗杀旅居或出访西班牙的哥领 导人的阴谋。
Spanish National Court Judge Eloy Velasco alleged Monday that the Venezuelan government had collaborated with Basque separatist group ETA and Colombia's main guerrilla group in a plot against leaders living in or traveling to Spain that began in late 2003.
据《华尔街日报》看到的起诉书复印件，上述指控是起诉书的一部分，起诉书命令ETA和“哥伦比亚革命武装力量”(FARC)的12名成员就合谋 进行谋杀和恐怖活动的指控接受审判。
The allegations were part of an indictment that ordered 12 alleged members of ETA and of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, to stand trial on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and terrorism, according to a copy reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
起诉书中称，有证据显示委内瑞拉政府参与了FARC和ETA之间的非法勾结。
'There is evidence . . . showing the cooperation of the Venezuelan government in the illegal collaboration between FARC and ETA,' according to the indictment.
西班牙首相萨帕特罗(Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero)周一在德国汉诺威的新闻发布会上发表演讲时说，他已经下令外交部要求委内瑞拉政府就上述指控作出解释。他说，我们正在等待他们作出解 释。
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, speaking at a news conference Monday in Hanover, Germany, said he had ordered his Foreign Ministry to 'request an explanation from the Venezuelan government' regarding the allegations. 'We are awaiting such explanation,' Mr. Zapatero said.
委内瑞拉政府对指控作出愤怒反应。委内瑞拉外交部在声明中称，指控是偏颇的，是毫无根据的。
Caracas responded angrily to the allegations. Venezuela's Foreign Ministry, in a statement, dismissed the charges as 'biased and unfounded.'
委内瑞拉总统查韦斯(Hugo Chavez)所领导执政联盟中的国会议员皮亚拉(Hayden Pirela)说，西班牙法官提出的指控是让委内瑞拉蒙羞的活动的一部分。他还说，我们没有向游击组织提供庇护，与他们也没有任何的协议。
Hayden Pirela, a congressman from the ruling coalition of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, said the Spanish judge's allegations were part of a campaign 'to discredit Venezuela,' adding: 'We don't give guerrillas refuge, or have any pact with guerrillas.'
上述指控对查韦斯来说可谓雪上加霜──由于委内瑞拉电力供应短缺、经济陷入衰退、通货膨胀率居高不下，查韦斯的支持率正不断下滑。事实证明，指 控对哥伦比亚和西班牙来说还可能是个棘手的问题，这两个国家都一直在努力超越过去与委内瑞拉民粹领导人之间的分歧。
The allegations come at a bad time for Mr. Chavez, whose popularity is falling due to electricity shortages and an economy mired in recession and high inflation. They could also prove tricky for Colombia and Spain, both of which have been trying to move beyond past differences with Venezuela's populist leader.
指控还让外界再次关注起西班牙国家法院。该法院的法官们根据自行开展的调查作出判决，独立于西班牙行政和立法部门。一些法官由于审理涉及其他国 家政府的全球案件而获得了国际关注和批评，这其中包括就美国关塔那摩虐囚案的指控进行的调查。
The indictments also bring fresh attention to Spain's National Court, whose judges act on their own investigations and are independent from Spain's executive and legislative branches. Some judges have gained international attention, and criticism, for their handling of global cases involving other governments, including an investigation into allegations of U.S. torture at Guantanamo Bay.
与此相反，贝拉斯科法官审理的主要是本国以及争议性较小的恐怖主义案件，在国内外都保持低调。
Mr. Velasco, by contrast, has handled mainly local and less controversial terrorism cases, maintaining a low profile domestically and internationally.
暗杀阴谋的目标之一乌力贝对此反应谨慎。
Mr. Uribe, one of the targets of the alleged assassination plots, reacted cautiously.
他在乌拉圭对哥伦比亚电台说，我认为，我们应该谨慎反应，通过外交渠道看看情况是怎样的。
'I think we should react prudently and see what is going on through diplomatic channels,' he told Colombian radio from Uruguay.
另外一个目标、哥伦比亚前总统帕斯特拉纳(Andres Pastrana)也要求委内瑞拉作出解释。
Another alleged target, former Colombian President Andres Pastrana, also demanded an explanation from Venezuela.
贝拉斯科对起诉书中列出的12人发出了国际逮捕令和引渡请求，据说这些人不是ETA，就是FARC成员，而且行踪不明。其中一位名叫芳丹 (Arturo Cubillas Fontan)的人据信住在委内瑞拉。
Mr. Velasco issued international arrest warrants and extradition requests for the 12 men named in the indictment, all of whom allegedly belong to either ETA or FARC and whose whereabouts are unknown. One man, identified as Arturo Cubillas Fontan, is believed to be living in Venezuela.