UNITED NATIONS - The top American diplomat to the United Nations defended his dealings with Pakistani officials Wednesday, saying he never acted as adviser to a candidate for Pakistan's presidency.

"I have not provided him with any advice," said U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, referring to Asif Ali Zardari, the head of the Pakistan People's Party and widower of slain ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. "The contacts have been social contacts for the most part."

Khalilzad's bosses in the State Department were angered to learn that he had unusual contacts with Zardari, including multiple recent telephone calls and plans for a recent meeting that was canceled. The New York Times first reported last month on the internal Bush administration uneasiness over some of the Afghan-born Khalilzad's contacts.

Khalilzad's comments to reporters outside the U.N. Security Council's chambers were his first public comments on the controversy. He had been on vacation when the stories about him first appeared.

Zardari's party submitted his nomination papers in late August for him to run for president in the Sept. 6 election by lawmakers. Zardari is widely expected to win, despite having spent years in prison on corruption allegations.

"I wanted to set the record straight," he said. "I have many contacts and friends around the world. I've been in the business a long time. Many of them precede my assignment, my role in the U.S. government. Just because I'm a government official now doesn't mean I should end those friendship and relationships I've had with many people,"

Khalilzad said he's since spoken with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Assistant Secretary of StateRichard Boucher about the situation, but wouldn't disclose details of those conversations.

Still, the U.N. diplomat acknowledged he had long known Bhutto and Zardari and maintained social contacts with them.

"When something of a policy-related issue has been raised, and that has been very rare, I have reported those to the secretary and to other relevant officials. I believe that these contacts are perfectly natural; I've been surprised by the commentary or characterization of those contacts."

The United States, which considers Pakistan's cooperation an essential part of its struggle against Islamist extremism, has remained publicly neutral in the contest to pick a successor to ousted President Pervez Musharraf. But U.S. officials have questioned efforts to broker peace deals with militants that opposition leader Nawaz Sharif supported. Sharif's party is fielding a retired judge as its candidate.

In mid-August, Musharraf, a longtime U.S. ally, was forced to quit the presidency by a ruling coalition that included Sharif's party. Sharif switched to the opposition after he disagreed with Zardari over who should succeed Musharraf and how to restore judges that the former president fired last year.

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