Monti would 'consider' second term as Italian PM

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said Thursday that he would "consider" a second term as premier if asked, as a general election looms in the recession-hit country in spring next year. "Should I be asked, I would consider the situation," Monti said in a conference call hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, amid pressure from many in Italy's business community for him to stay on. "There will be elections, I hope a clear result and a government led by a political leader. I will be there. Should there be circumstances in which I could serve helpfully after that election, I do not preclude anything." A former high-flying European competition commissioner and economics professor, Monti was called in to lead a technocratic government after Silvio Berlusconi stepped down in November 2011 amid financial market panic. Monti has launched a number of important reforms to keep public finances in check and boost growth, as well as stabilising the financial markets. His official term ends in the spring of next year when elections are due -- a deadline that has many in the country concerned about a possible return of the political bickering that contributed to lowering Italy's credibility internationally.