Pakistani and U-S officials are downplaying the effects of last week's clash involving Pakistani border guards and U-S soldiers along the Afghan -Pakistani border.
U-S officials say the incident - in which an American soldier was injured by a Pakistani border guard and the U-S forces called in an air strike - occurred in Afghan territory.
Pakistani officials said the U-S forces dropped a bomb that hit an abandoned school on Pakistani territory. The border in the region is not well-defined.
A Pakistani statement Saturday said U-S Secretary of State Colin Powell discussed the incident by telephone with President Pervez Musharraf Friday and agreed it may have occurred as a result of a misunderstanding. The statement said the two countries agreed on the need for strengthened coordination to prevent future incidents.
Meanwhile, Pakistani officials have denied giving the United States permission to enter Pakistan in pursuit of Taleban and al Qaida fighters fleeing there from Afghanistan. The U-S said Friday said it reserves such a right. Pakistani officials said all military operations in Pakistan will be conducted only by Pakistani forces.
U-S officials say U-S forces so far have refrained from exercising what it calls a long-standing right of hot pursuit in the search for al Qaida and Taleban fighters.