The Bush administration recalled its ambassador to Syria in 2005, following the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

黎巴嫩前总理哈里里遇刺身亡之后，布什政府2005年召回了美国驻叙利亚大使。

Duguid says the time is not yet ripe to send a new ambassador to Damascus.

杜吉德说，现在向大马士革派遣新大使的时机还不成熟。

"It would in a normal relationship be unusual to not have an ambassador in place," he said. "We have not had a normal relationship for some time. We are working with the other foreign policy agencies in the U.S. government to develop a better relationship or the means for a better relationship with Syria, but this cannot be unreciprocated."

杜吉德说：“如果美国和叙利亚的关系正常，而美国不向叙利亚派驻大使，这是不正常的。但是一段时间以来，我们两国的关系并不正常。我们正在跟美国政府内其它负责对外政策的机构共同研究争取改善跟叙利亚的关系，或者找出改善两国关系的措施，不过，我们的努力不应该是没有回报的。”

The United States has criticized Syria for supporting militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah and for not doing enough to prevent foreign fighters from crossing its border into Iraq.

美国指责叙利亚政府支持哈马斯和真主党等激进组织，还指责叙利亚政府没有尽力阻止外国武装人员越过叙利亚边境进入伊拉克。

U.S. officials have also expressed concern that Syria had a secret North Korea-designed nuclear reactor in a remote desert, until it was bombed by Israeli jets in 2007.

以色列战机2007年轰炸了叙利亚一处核设施，在那之前，美国官员对叙利亚在边远沙漠地区拥有一个由北韩设计的秘密核反应堆一直表示关注。

Spokesman Duguid says the Obama administration is currently reviewing its policy toward Damascus.

国务院发言人杜吉德说，奥巴马政府目前正在重新审议美国对大马士革的政策。

"We are looking at our Syria policy right now," he said. "We are discussing our relationship with the Syrians. I do not have to go down for you the list of things that are differences that we have with them at the moment. We will see where these meetings go before we go to the next step."

杜吉德说：“我们目前正在审议我们对叙利亚采取的政策。我们正在讨论美国跟叙利亚人的关系。我不必对大家一一列举我们目前跟叙利亚政府在一系列问题上的分歧。在我们迈出下一步之前，我们先要看看这些会谈效果如何。”

Secretary Clinton says it is too early to predict the future of U.S.-Syria relations or whether the troubled relationship will improve.

克林顿国务卿说，现在预测美叙两国关系的发展或预测两国麻烦不断的关系是否会得到改善都还为时过早。