Clinton welcomes release of CIA contractor

Source: Associated Press

Clinton welcomes release of CIA contractor
March 16, 2011

CAIRO—U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is thanking Pakistan and the families of two men shot by a CIA contractor for allowing the American to go free Wednesday.

Clinton told reporters that the families of the dead men "pardoned" CIA security contractor Raymond Davis and that Davis has left Pakistan. He was arrested there after he killed the pair he said had tried to rob him.

Clinton called the men "victims" of the Jan. 27 incident. She said the U.S. did not pay to win Davis' release, but she didn't dispute that the men's families were compensated. The amount and source of money paid to the families is not yet completely clear.

Clinton was speaking in Cairo.



Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2011/03/16/clinton_welcomes_release_of_cia_contractor/

First, this person was a contractor, not a USG employee.

Second, he killed people, compensation to the families notwithstanding (whoever paid it).

Third, his contract should be terminated.

Fourth, the SoS should have kept her mouth shut. If there was a need to acknowledge this development, the press spokesman could simply have acknowledged it as having happened.

"she didn't dispute that the men's families were compensated"

What does 'blood money' mean, anyway?

(sarcasm)

We negotiate for them.

in Cairo.

The Pakistani media has reported that the families received 200 million rupees ($2.34m, £1.1m) but US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton denied the US government had paid any blood money.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12757244

..... she said as her nose grew longer.

CIA contractor Raymond Davis freed after ‘blood money’ payment
By Greg Miller, Wednesday, March 16, 5:10 PM

A CIA security contractor who fatally shot two Pakistani men in January was released Wednesday after relatives of the victims received “blood money” as compensation and agreed to pardon him, U.S. officials said.

Raymond Davis was released from a Pakistani jail in Lahore after nearly two months in detention and was flown to meet with U.S. officials in Kabul. Cameron Munter, the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, accompanied Davis on the flight, a U.S. official said.

“There has been a plan in the works for the last three weeks,” the official said, adding that U.S. officials had desperately worked to free Davis before a threatened murder trial began. “The concern was that if the actual murder trial started it would become very difficult to extricate him.”

Davis was arrested Jan. 27 after gunning down two Pakistani men at a traffic signal in Lahore. Davis later said that the two men were attempting to rob him and had brandished a weapon.

More:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/cia_contractor_raymond_davis_freed_after_blood_money_payment/2011/03/16/AByVJ1d_story.html?wprss=rss_middle-east

U.S. Denies Paying Pakistan For Raymond Davis Acquittal
Posted: 03/16/11 06:33 PM

CAIRO (Reuters) - The United States did not pay compensation to the families of two Pakistanis killed by a CIA contractor who was acquitted of their murder on Wednesday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.

The contractor, Raymond Davis, 36, was acquitted and released by a Pakistani court after a deal to pay "blood money" to the victims' families, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah told Reuters earlier on Wednesday.

Clinton told reporters in Cairo: "The United States did not pay any compensation." Asked who did, she replied: "You will have to ask the families."

She also refused to say if the Pakistani government had paid, saying: "You will have to ask the Pakistani government."

More:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/16/raymond-davis-blood-money_n_836723.html

Analysts: Political impact uncertain after CIA contractor freed
By Michael Martinez
March 17, 2011 -- Updated 0109 GMT (0909 HKT)

(CNN) -- Perhaps more important than the newest mystery surrounding CIA contractor Raymond Davis -- who paid the purported seven-figure sum to the Pakistani victims' families who blessed his release from jail -- will be the political reaction within Pakistan where the populace is already outraged over Davis' fatal shooting of two men there, analysts said Wednesday.

The other potential impact of the "Raymond Davis Affair," as one analyst dubbed it, is whether it will damage diplomatic relations between the United States and Pakistan, in which Americans depend on Pakistan in fighting terror and the Pakistanis enjoy substantial U.S. aid.

"There is the curious question of who made the payment. I suppose it's going to remain a mystery for a while," said Mark Quarterman, director of the Program on Crisis, Conflict, and Cooperation of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"His presence there and the story about his presence were kind of a mystery from the start," Quarterman added. "Now his presence in Pakistan ends with one more curiosity. I think the fallout from this is far from over. It will be interesting to see what the reaction is in Pakistan. It's been the lead story" in media there, he added.

More:
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/16/analysis.pakistan.cia.release/