Obama to convene meeting of national security aides

Barack Obama was to convene a meeting of his top national security aides, and all of president-elect's top military and diplomatic officials would be present, his transition team said.

Barack Obama was to convene a meeting on Monday of his top national security aides, and all of president-elect's top military and diplomatic officials would be present, his transition team said.

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Among those to attend were vice president-elect Joe Biden, secretary of state designee Hillary Clinton, secretary of defense Robert Gates and attorney general designee Eric Holder, Obama's office said in a statement.

Also to attend are secretary of homeland security designee Janet Napolitano, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff Admiral Mike Mullen, ambassador to the United Nations designee Susan Rice, national security advisor designee Jim Jones, and director of national intelligence Mike McConnell.

The security meeting was to be followed by a 2200 GMT press conference at which Obama was expected to announce his cabinet picks to head the US agencies tasked on energy and the environment.

News reports said Obama was likely to announce that Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Chu has been chosen to take the helm of the Department of Energy.