The first face-to-face talks between President Barack Obama andcongressional leaders failed to break the budget logjam as apartial U.S. government shutdown entered its third day.

The Oval Office meeting yesterday evening ended with both sidesreiterating their positions and the points they've been making fordays, raising the prospect of a prolonged standoff over thegovernment shutdown and raising the U.S. debt limit.

Democrats, including Obama, say Republicans must end theshutdown and raise the debt ceiling as a precondition to talks onbroader budgetary disputes. Republicans want to use the fiscaldeadlines to extract changes to Obama's health-care law.