離開
進入《中英對照讀新聞》Birthday cake but no Putin for France’s Chirac 法國總統席哈克的生日有蛋糕沒普廷
◎張沛元
French President Jacques Chirac got a birthday cake from his Latvian host but no surprise visit from Russian President Vladimir Putin to mark his 74th birthday.
為了彰顯他74歲的生日，法國總統席哈克從他的拉脫維亞東道主手中獲得一個生日蛋糕，但卻少了俄羅斯總統普廷的驚喜造訪。
President Vaira Vike-Freiberga had a Latvian soldier present the veteran French leader with a white-iced cake covered with red roses -- the colours of the Latvian flag -- when he arrived at what will almost certainly be his last NATO summit.
當席哈克抵達此間準備出席幾乎確定是他最後一次的北約高峰會時，拉脫維亞總統維克佛瑞柏加女士讓一名拉脫維亞士兵，為這位資深的法國領導人獻上一個覆有白色糖衣與紅玫瑰─拉脫維亞國旗的顏色─的蛋糕。
Putin caused a diplomatic frenzy by offering to drop in on the former Soviet republic after the summit to congratulate Chirac, a political ally, on his birthday.
普廷因提議在北約高峰會後順道造訪拉脫維亞這個前蘇聯共和國，以便為政治盟友席哈克慶生，而引發外交騷動。
Putin was not invited to the summit and the move was seen by some diplomats as a bid to upstage the U.S.-led defence alliance and cause mischief in the Baltic states,which no Russian leader has visited since they won independence from Moscow in 1991.
普廷並未受邀出席北約高峰會，此舉被部分外交人士視為企圖搶走這個由美國主導的防禦聯盟的鋒頭，及離間波羅的海三國（愛沙尼亞、拉脫維亞、立陶宛）。波羅的海三國自1991年脫離莫斯科當局獨立以來，沒有任何俄羅斯領導人曾造訪這3國。
新聞辭典
NATO： 專有名稱，North Atlantic Treaty Organization，北大西洋公約組織，簡稱北約或北約組織，總部設於比利時布魯賽爾，宗旨為會員國之間的軍事防禦合作。
drop in：片語，順道訪問。其他與drop有關的片語還有，drop me a line，給我寫信；drop by，短暫停留。例句：Just drop me at the front door of that shop; I want to buy some gorceries on my way home.（請在那家店的正門口讓我下車，我想回家順路買點雜貨。）
make（cause） mischief：挑撥離間，製造麻煩。例句：she's just trying to make mischief.（她只是想試圖製造麻煩。）
