Khalilzad says he made no mistake by contacting PPP

New York, Sept.4 : The United States envoy to the United Nations, Z. Khalilzad, has said he made no mistake in establishing contacts with PPP, adding that the interactions were purely of social nature.

A former US envoy to both Afghanistan and Iraq, he said he had for years maintained friendships and relationships with many people in the broader Middle East, including Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"These contacts and relationships have been useful for the United States but at the same time I am experienced enough to know the difference between being a channel with these friends on behalf of the United States and having social contacts particularly with regard to the Bhutto family," The News quoted Khalilzad, as saying.

He said he had had mostly "social contacts" with the Bhutto couple since Benazir, a former Pakistani prime minister, returned from exile to Pakistan in October 2007 and in the aftermath of her assassination two months later.

Noting these contacts were "perfectly natural", he insisted that he had reported them to US Secretary of State "and relevant officials" whenever policy issues had been raised.

And he strenuously denied having acted as an advisor to Zardari.

ANI