U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed regret that the prostitution scandal involving Secret Service members overshadowed the Summit of the Americas.
In a joint interview with Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Clinton told CNN the incident, which took place in the coastal city of Cartagena, captured “a large amount of coverage at the summit” and distracted from the “opportunity to show Colombia” to the world during an event she described as “an important meeting.”
She praised the Andean nation as an emerging “dynamo in the region” thanks to Plan Colombia, a U.S. supported strategy aimed at combating drug trafficking.
Panetta expressed his concern over the scandal involving a group of Secret Service members who allegedly took 21 prostitutes back to their hotel. He assured that the agents involved will be punished after the investigation ends.
“Whether it takes place in Colombia or any other country or in the United States, [we] expect that our people behave according to the highest standards of conduct,” Panetta said.
“That obviously didn’t happen here. As a result we’re investigating the matter, and as a result of that investigation we’ll hold these people accountable.”
