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Rediff.com  » News » No second term, not running for US president again: Hillary

No second term, not running for US president again: Hillary

By Lalit K Jha
March 17, 2011 14:11 IST
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United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that she would not serve a second term as the top American diplomat if President Barack Obama was to be re-elected in the 2012 presidential elections. She also categorically ruled out any attempt to run for US presidency again.

In an interview to Wolf Blitzer of the CNN in Cairo, Egypt, where she was travelling, Clinton on Wednesday repeatedly said 'No' each time she was asked if she would like to serve as the secretary of defence, the vice president, or would like to be the president of the US.

She has the best job she could ever have, Clinton argued. "This is a moment in history where it is almost hard to catch your breath. There are both the tragedies and disasters that we have seen from Haiti to Japan and there are the extraordinary opportunities and challenges that we see right here in Egypt and in the rest of the region," she said.

"So I want to be part of helping to represent the US at this critical moment in time, to do everything I can in support of the president and our government and the people of our country to stand for our values and our ideals, to stand up for our security, which has to remain first and foremost in my mind and to advance America's interests," she said.

"There isn't anything that I can imagine doing after this that would be as demanding, as challenging or rewarding," she added. "President of the United States?" she was asked. "You know, I had a wonderful experience running and I am very proud of the support I had and very grateful for the opportunity, but I'm going to be, you know, moving on," Clinton said.

Reiterating that she would not run for presidency in 2016, Clinton said: "I am doing what I want to do right now and I have no intention or any idea even of running again. I'm going to do the best I can at this job for the next two years."

Clinton said she had 'a wonderful experience' in her 2008 campaign and was "very proud of the support I had and very grateful for the opportunity, but I'm going to be, you know, moving on."

She denied that the US paid any compensation to the relatives of the January 27 Lahore shootout victims to secure the release of Central Intelligence Agency contractor Raymond Davis.

"The US did not pay any compensation. The families of the victims of the incident on January 27th decided to pardon Davis. And we are very grateful for their decision."

"And we are very grateful to the people and Government of Pakistan, who have a very strong relationship with us that we are committed to strengthening," Clinton said during an interview with NPR.

When pointed out that the law minister of Pakistan's Punjab Province, which is where the incident took place, said that blood money was paid to get Davis released, Clinton said: "Well, you'll have to ask him what he means by that."

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Lalit K Jha in Washington, DC
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