LAHORE: US Sen. John Kerry says Pakistan and the United States need to focus on their ''many mutual interests'' rather than letting the dispute over a jailed US embassy worker derail relations.

Raymond Davis has been detained since Jan 27, when he fatally shot two Pakistani men who he says were trying to rob him.

A chorus of American officials have called for his release on the grounds of diplomatic immunity, including President Barack Obama.

Kerry reiterated the US stance Tuesday. He also said he regretted the deaths of the two Pakistani men and pledged Davis will be tried in an American court.

Kerry spoke in Lahore while on a last-minute trip arranged amid tense relations between Washington and Islamabad over the Davis case.