Libya would shoulder the “grave responsibility, for this tragedy and also let us look at the necessity to expedite the investigation in the incident and to bring to justice the perpetrators,” Megaryef added.
The events in Benghazi did “not express in any way the conscience of the Libyan people, their aspirations, their hopes or their sentiments towards the American people,” he said at the start of their talks in a New York hotel.
The attack “was a very painful, huge tragedy, not only for the American people and the families of the victims, but also for the Libyan people,” he added, speaking softly, mostly through a translator.
Clinton thanked Megaryef for his government’s efforts and vowed the United States would stand by Libya as it forges a fledgling democracy.
US President Barack Obama and Clinton have denounced the film “Innocence of Muslims” which triggered the wave of unrest, but have stressed repeatedly that there is no justification for violence.
Clinton also met Monday with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and thanked him for Pakistan’s handling of several days of violent anti-US protests which swept the country last week.
“One or two insane persons should not be allowed to endanger world peace in the garb of freedom of expression,” Zardari said at the meeting, according to a statement from the Pakistani embassy.
A senior State Department official said afterwards ties between the two uneasy allies “are moving upwards, in a positive direction.”
“We’ve been working in a very diligent, disciplined, workman-like manner over the course of these last 18 months which have been very difficult, and especially over the last several months… to get this back on track.”
Clinton also met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai for almost an hour and discussed moves to launch talks on a new bilateral security agreement as US and international troops prepare to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
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