Chicago:US President-elect Barack Obama has apologised to former first lady Nancy Reagan for his "careless" and "off handed" remark in which he referred to her having held "seances" in the White House.

Obama, who called Reagan after his press conference here, had a "warm conversation" with the widow of former President Ronald Reagan, transition spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said.

"President-elect Barack Obama called Nancy Reagan today to apologise for the careless and off handed remark he made during today's press conference," Cutter said.

"The President-elect expressed his admiration and affection for Mrs Reagan that so many Americans share and they had a warm conversation," she added.

At his first interaction with the media since coming out victorious in the November 4 Presidential election, Obama was asked if he had spoken to all "living" Presidents.

"I have spoken to all of them who are living," he replied adding, "I didn t want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about doing any seances."

The 87-year-old former first lady had consulted astrologers during her husband's presidency as revealed by the president's former chief of staff Donald Regan in his memoir For the Record .

However, there have been no reports of seances being conducted in the White House during the Reagan administration. Ronald Reagan, who was president of the US from 1981 to 1989, died in 2004.

Another first lady Mary Todd Lincoln is believed to have conducted seances to communicate with the dead during her husband Abraham Lincoln's presidency.

It is being pointed out that Obama was apparently confused about Reagan's consulting astrologers with reports of other First Ladies making contacts with the dead.
Source : PTI