President Barack Obama is planning to meet privately with his former challenger Mitt Romney at the White House on Thursday.

It will be their first face-to-face encounter since the presidential election.

Their meeting will take place inside the White House's private dining room.

In his victory speech on November 6, Obama promised to work with Romney.

The meeting comes as the president and congressional Republicans try to hammer out a deal to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff.

The two men had very different strategies for reviving the economy during the campaign.

The president called for higher taxes on the rich, while Romney called for lower taxes on all.