U.S. President Barack Obama has tapped the highest-ranking U.S. diplomat¹ in Cuba to be the first ambassador to the island in more than 50 years.

美国总统奥巴马提名美国在古巴的最高级别外交官为逾50年来美国驻古巴的第一位大使。

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 normalization² of relations with the communist nation.

但是，杰弗里・德劳伦蒂斯的提名仍有待参议院批准，而且有可能引发与反对同古巴建交的共和党人的激烈争执。

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 qualified³ public servant."

自去年7月以来，德劳伦蒂斯一直在哈瓦那新设的美国大使馆工作。奥巴马总统表示，没有比他更合格的公仆了。

Cuban-American Senators Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted⁴ 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.

来自佛罗里达州的古巴裔联邦参议员卢比奥和来自得克萨斯州的联邦参议员克鲁兹试图限制給美国驻哈瓦那大使馆的资金，他们表示将反对奥巴马提名的任何大使。

DeLaurentis, a career diplomat, has served in Havana during the major transition of the one-time Cold War foes⁵ to a new relationship that includes re-opening embassies in Washington and Havana, and resuming travel and trade on a limited basis so far.

美国和古巴曾经是冷战时期的敌人，如今开启了一段新的关系，双方在华盛顿和哈瓦那互设大使馆，并且已经恢复有限的旅行和贸易活动，在这个重大的过渡期间，作为职业外交官的德劳伦蒂斯一直在哈瓦那工作。

He would be the first U.S. envoy⁶ since Philip Bonsal, an appointee of President Dwight Eisenhower, left the post vacant in late 1960.

德劳伦蒂斯将是继邦萨之后的美国第一位驻古巴大使，邦萨由已故总统艾森豪威尔任命，1960年末被召回美国。