Obama to meet congressional leaders on fiscal issues

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Obama to meet congressional leaders on fiscal issues

(Xinhua) 08:11, October 15, 2013

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 -- U.S. President Barack Obama will meet with congressional leaders at the White House on Monday afternoon, as a partial government shutdown entered its 14th day and the threat of a debt default looms.

Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will meet Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker John Boehner and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, the White House said on Monday.

"With only a few days until the government runs out of borrowing authority, the President will make clear the need for Congress to act to pay our bills, and reopen the government," it said.

"The President will also reiterate our principles to the leaders: we will not pay a ransom for Congress reopening the government and raising the debt limit," it added.

The meeting comes as Reid and McConnell have started their talks, searching for a possible deal in the Senate to extend the U. S. debt limit and reopen the federal government.

The negotiations between Obama and House Republicans stalled last week, as a GOP offer of six-week debt ceiling increase in exchange for broader fiscal talks was rejected by Obama, shifting the focus to the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Obama spoke with Pelosi over the phone Sunday, said the White House. "They discussed the way forward on the pressing fiscal matters facing Congress today. They reinforced that there must be a clean debt limit increase that allows us to pay the bills we have incurred and avoid default."

（Editor：LiangJun、Gao Yinan）