The only way that Senator Catsup will be able to "calm the situation in Pakistan is by admitting that American diplomat Raymond Davis, being held illegally by the Pakistani government for shooting two armed robbers in Lahore a few weeks ago, is guilty and should be executed.
That's the feeling among the overwhelming majority of Pakistanis. The pressure on the government to bring Davis to trial is tremendous and it's hard to see how the bungling of Mr. Kerry will do anything except make the situation worse.
ABC News :
Sen. John Kerry has left for a trip to Pakistan today, according to his spokesperson on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to calm frayed diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Pakistan.Spokesman Frederick Jones said the trip comes at a time when the relationship is strained by the detention of a U.S. government official, Raymond Davis, suspected of killing two Pakistani men in self-defense during an alleged robbery attempt late last month in Lahore. Another Pakistani man was then accidentally killed by a rescue vehicle rushing Davis' aid.
The U.S. was scheduled to host a trilateral meeting in Washington with Afghanistan and Pakistan at the end of February, but the meeting was canceled after Pakistan resisted U.S. demands to release Davis immediately. Pakistan is charging Davis with murder, but U.S. officials argue that Davis was in Pakistan under a diplomatic visa and has diplomatic immunity from prosecution in a host country. The senator is traveling on behalf of the Obama administration.
"Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry left tonight for Pakistan where he will meet with senior Pakistan government officials to reaffirm support for the strategic relationship between the two countries," Jones said.
Is the Obama administration about ready to throw Davis under the bus? When the government refers to the "strategic relationship" between countries where there is a dispute, that could mean that all other considerations are minor compared to the overarching interests in not damaging the alliance.
Davis is an impediment right now, and while the State Department wouldn't like it, giving up on the "diplomatic immunity" claim in exchange for a trial for Davis followed by some kind of amnesty granted by the Pakistani government might satisfy the Pakistani street as well as the Americans.
Let's hope that Kerry doesn't bungle whatever negotiations he's going over there to conduct.
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