White House offers to curtail drone program in Pakistan, sources say

WASHINGTON – In a bid to save the CIA's drone campaign against Al Qaeda in Pakistan, U.S. officials offered key concessions to Pakistan's spy chief that included advance notice and limits on the types of targets.

But the offers were flatly rejected, leaving U.S.-Pakistani relations strained as President Obama prepares to meet Tuesday with Pakistan's prime minister.

The U.S. offered to give Pakistan advance notice of CIA drone strikes against targets inside its borders, in a bid to keep Pakistan from blocking arguably one of America's most potent tools against Al Qaeda.

U.S. and Pakistani officials say CIA director David Petraeus made the offer in January in London to Pakistan's spy chief at the time.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the high-level talks.