US envoy denies 'unauthorized contacts' with Pakistan's Zardari

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The US ambassador to the United Nations on Wednesday slammed as "patently false" press reports that he had "unauthorized" contacts with Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistani presidential contender and widower of slain Benazir Bhutto.

Zalmay Khalilzad spoke to reporters here to refute a New York Times story last week alleging that senior US administration officials were puzzled and angry over Khalilzad's frequent contacts with Zardari.

The New York Times last week quoted a senior US official as saying that Khalilzad had spoken with Zardari by phone "several times a week for the past month until he was confronted about the unauthorized contacts."

"I am an American ... I have no plan to become a candidate (for the Afghan presidency)," he noted. "When I leave here I will work in the private sector."
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Zalmay Khalilzad News - The New York Times