Obama to meet Italy's Monti at White House February 9

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama will host Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti in Washington on February 9 and will discuss efforts to tackle the debt crisis that has threatened Italy and the wider euro zone, the White House said on Monday.

"The two leaders will discuss the comprehensive steps the Italian government is taking to restore market confidence and reinvigorate growth through structural reforms, as well as the prospect of an expansion of Europe's financial firewall," the White House said in a statement.