Former Vice President Al Gore looks on at right as President-elect Barack Obama speaks during a meeting in Chicago, 09 Dec 2008

U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has met with former Vice President Al Gore in Chicago to discuss energy issues and climate change.

Mr. Obama is in the process of selecting nominees to head the top U.S. energy and environmental agencies.  Advisers to Mr. Obama say Gore is not under consideration for any of the posts, but Mr. Obama says he will rely on the Nobel peace laureate for his expertise.

After the meeting, the president-elect said dealing with climate change is an urgent matter of national security.  But he said that, as he develops an economic recovery plan, it also presents an opportunity to change the way America uses energy.

Mr. Obama is expected to announce in the coming days his choices to lead the Departments of Energy and the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The former vice president won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his work on environmental issues.  In addition to that prestigious award, Gore created and starred in an award-winning climate change documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth."  

He also served two terms as vice president under President Bill Clinton, then ran unsuccessfully for the presidency against George Bush in 2000.  Mr. Obama has pledged to invest in clean technologies to create jobs and help the environment.

In other transition news, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with her designated successor, New York Senator Hillary Clinton, in a private two-hour dinner at Rice's Washington apartment on Monday.  A State Department spokesman says the two talked about foreign policy issues and the challenges ahead.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.