奧巴馬任命資深外交官爲古巴大使
U.S. President Barack Obama has tapped the highest-ranking U.S. diplomat in Cuba to be the first ambassador to the island in more than 50 years.
美國總統奧巴馬提名美國在古巴的最高級別外交官爲逾50年來美國駐古巴的第一位大使。
But the appointment of Jeffrey DeLaurentis, which still must be confirmed by the Senate, is likely to set up a fierce fight with Republicans opposed to the normalization of relations with the communist nation.
但是，傑弗裏・德勞倫蒂斯的提名仍有待參議院批准，而且有可能引發與反對同古巴建交的共和黨人的激烈爭執。
DeLaurentis has been working at the new U.S. Embassy in Havana since it opened in July last year. Obama said there is "no better qualified public servant."
自去年7月以來，德勞倫蒂斯一直在哈瓦那新設的美國大使館工作。奧巴馬總統表示，沒有比他更合格的公僕了。
Cuban-American Senators Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas, both Republicans, tried to limit funding for the U.S. Embassy in Havana and said they would oppose any ambassador named by Obama.
來自佛羅里達州的古巴裔聯邦參議員盧比奧和來自得克薩斯州的聯邦參議員克魯茲試圖限制給美國駐哈瓦那大使館的資金，他們表示將反對奧巴馬提名的任何大使。
DeLaurentis, a career diplomat, has served in Havana during the major transition of the one-time Cold War foes to a new relationship that includes re-opening embassies in Washington and Havana, and resuming travel and trade on a limited basis so far.
美國和古巴曾經是冷戰時期的敵人，如今開啓了一段新的關係，雙方在華盛頓和哈瓦那互設大使館，並且已經恢復有限的旅行和貿易活動，在這個重大的過渡期間，作爲職業外交官的德勞倫蒂斯一直在哈瓦那工作。
He would be the first U.S. envoy since Philip Bonsal, an appointee of President Dwight Eisenhower, left the post vacant in late 1960.
德勞倫蒂斯將是繼邦薩之後的美國第一位駐古巴大使，邦薩由已故總統艾森豪威爾任命，1960年末被召回美國。
