World | President Obama Obama Offers Pakistan Prez 'Condolences' After Strike Stops short of issuing formal apology By Evann Gastaldo Posted Dec 4, 2011 5:04 PM CST Copied President Barack Obama meets with Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 14, 2011. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) In a phone conversation eight days after NATO airstrikes killed two dozen Pakistani soldiers, President Obama today offered "condolences" for the deaths to Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari, the White House says. Diplomats had encouraged the president to apologize in an effort to soothe strained US-Pakistan relations, but Obama stopped short of offering a formal apology, the New York Times reports. "The president made clear that this regrettable incident was not a deliberate attack on Pakistan and reiterated the United States’ strong commitment to a full investigation," the White House said in a statement. "The two presidents reaffirmed their commitment to the US-Pakistan bilateral relationship, which is critical to the security of both nations, and they agreed to stay in close touch." Read These Next Actor Michael Madsen is dead at 67. Soccer star Diogo Jota is killed in a car crash. A teen pilot landed on his 7th continent and immediately got detained. Who added bill's proposed tax on clean energy? No one knows. Report an error