Kerry apologises over killings

US senator John Kerry said on Tuesday his country was deeply sorry over the killing of two Pakistanis by a US official, after arriving in Pakistan to resolve a diplomatic row over the man. "We are deeply, deeply sorry for that tragic incident," Kerry told a press conference soon after arriving in Lahore.
"I want to come here to express our deepest regret for those tragic events and to express the sorrow of American people for the loss of life that has taken place," he said.
Hamid Waleed from Lahore adds: Senator John Kerry said Raymond Davis has a diplomatic immunity and cannot be tried in Pakistani court under the Vienna Convention. He told media, "It is a strong belief of our government that this case does not belong to Pakistan court," Kerry said, adding that "Davis has diplomatic immunity."
Kerry promised that the US Justice Department would conduct its own "thorough criminal investigation" if Pakistan were to release Davis. Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has made four trips to Pakistan in the past two years and was instrumental in co-writing in 2009 a five-year, $7.5 billion civilian aid package, part of a strategy to help counter insurgency in the country. Despite closer ties many here remain wary of the US, which is viewed as building strategic alliances with Pakistan's traditional rivals, notably India.
The US government called on Pakistan to release Raymond Davis, a US government employee who killed two men last month. He said Pakistan must release Davis under its commitments as a signatory to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a pact from the 1960s that guarantees diplomats immunity from prosecution.
Kerry said the US has all respect for Pakistani courts. He stressed that Davis cannot be tried in Pakistan. He urged Pakistan government to keep into consideration long-term interests of both countries while handling the Davis issue. He said Davis is a "technical and administrative" staff of the US Consulate in Lahore. However, there was no mentioning as to what his role was or whether he was authorised to carry a weapon. The US confirmed Davis's identity Friday, two weeks after Pakistani authorities released his name.