Dec. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti says his government will first focus on making Italy’s debt sustainable and doesn’t “rule out” more aggressive efforts to reduce the existing stock of debt.

Italy will achieve a primary surpluls of 5 percent in the coming years, which will allow the government to gradually reduce its 1.9 trillion euro debt, he said at a press conference today in Rome. He said his government may also consider more aggressive measures to reduce the debt, without giving specifics.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alessandra Migliaccio in Rome at amigliaccio@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew Davis at abdavis@bloomberg.net