US Ambassador to the UN Held Secret Talks with Zardari

Mr. Khalilzad, the US ambassador to the UN, has held several secret talks with Zardari, the leader of the PPP Pakistan's largest political party, and possible Presidential nominee. This has angered several senior administration officials because Mr. Khalilzad is not authorized to speak to Zardari.

With an uncertain political future in Pakistan it is very foolish to appear to side with anyone at the moment. Sharif, the leader of the PML-N has just backed out of the ruling coalition party so therefore the government could dissolve within the near future.

Hypothetically speaking, imagine if the above were to happen and Sharif's PML-N party wins the majority in Pakistan's parliament. Sharif would be upset with the US for sidding with his arch rival, Zardari, and as a result may not go after the taliban as much as we would like him to. New York Times

WASHINGTON — Zalmay Khalilzad, the American ambassador to the United Nations, is facing angry questions from other senior Bush administration officials over what they describe as unauthorized contacts with Asif Ali Zardari, a contender to succeed Pervez Musharraf as president of Pakistan.

Mr. Khalilzad had spoken by telephone with Mr. Zardari, the leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party, several times a week for the past month until he was confronted about the unauthorized contacts, a senior United States official said. Other officials said Mr. Khalilzad had planned to meet with Mr. Zardari privately next Tuesday while on vacation in Dubai, in a session that was canceled only after Richard A. Boucher, the assistant secretary of state for South Asia, learned from Mr. Zardari himself that the ambassador was providing “advice and help.”

....

“Can I ask what sort of ‘advice and help’ you are providing?” Mr. Boucher wrote in an angry e-mail message to Mr. Khalilzad. “What sort of channel is this? Governmental, private, personnel?” Copies of the message were sent to others at the highest levels of the State Department; the message was provided to The New York Times by an administration official who had received a copy.

Yet this isn't the first time that Mr. Khalilzad had gotten into hot water. Back in January of this year Mr. Khalilzad sat beside the Iranian foreign minister at a panel of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Bad optics, especially since Iran has threatened to wipe Israel, an American ally, off the planet and is developing nukes to reach that goal.

“Why do I have to learn about this from Asif after it’s all set up?” Mr. Boucher wrote in the Aug. 18 message, referring to the planned Dubai meeting with Mr. Zardari. “We have maintained a public line that we are not involved in the politics or the details. We are merely keeping in touch with the parties. Can I say that honestly if you’re providing ‘advice and help’? Please advise and help me so that I understand what’s going on here.”

Yes, what is going on here?