The campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) said Obama Wednesday morning called GOP nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) to ask to work on a joint statement on the economy.

“At 8:30 this morning, Senator Obama called Senator McCain to ask him if he would join in issuing a joint statement outlining their shared principles and conditions for the Treasury proposal and urging Congress and the White House to act in a bipartisan manner to pass such a proposal,” the campaign said. “ At 2:30 this afternoon, Senator McCain returned Senator Obama’s call and agreed to join him in issuing such a statement. The two campaigns are currently working together on the details.”

The White House welcomed McCain’s announcement that he was suspending his campaign to return to Washington, D.C., to work on the financial bailout legislation.

“We welcome Sen. McCain’s announcement,” White House press secretary Dana Perino said.

“We are making progress in negotiations on the financial markets rescue legislation, but we have not finished it yet,” she said in a statement. “Bipartisan support from Sens. McCain and Obama would be helpful in driving to a conclusion. The financial market crisis is a big problem that requires a big solution, and solving this in a bipartisan way will help prevent economic damage spreading from Wall Street to all Americans.”