WASHINGTON - US PRESIDENT-ELECT Barack Obama is considering naming former first lady Hillary Clinton, his onetime rival for the White House, as his secretary of state, NBC News reported late on Thursday.

Two unnamed Obama advisers told the network that Mrs Clinton, now a senator for New York, 'is under consideration' for the post.

According to NBC, Mrs Clinton flew to Chicago - where Mr Obama is based - on Thursday, but an adviser said it was on personal business.

Mrs Clinton, 61, has extensive foreign policy experience from her time in the senate, where she serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and indirectly when her husband Bill Clinton was president from 1993 to 2001.

Several big names have been mentioned in the press as possible Obama secretaries of state, including another former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, New Mexico governor and former UN ambassador Bill Richardson, a favorite of the powerful Latino community; and moderate Republican Senator Richard Lugar.

The Obama transition team has not said publicly who may be under consideration for cabinet positions, but has insisted no announcements would be made this week.

During the bruising Democratic presidential primary, Mrs Clinton tore into Mr Obama's lack of foreign policy experience, describing some of his proposals such as talking to Iran as 'naive'.

Mr Obama in turn constantly reminded voters that Mrs Clinton approved legislation authorising President George W. Bush to invade Iraq, a vote she never publicly rejected.

Once Mrs Clinton lost the Democratic presidential nomination, the former first lady campaigned fiercely for Mr Obama.

She was asked at a New York event on Monday if she would consider taking a position in the Obama administration. 'I am happy being a senator from New York, I love this state and this city,' Mrs Clinton said, according to CNN.

'I am looking at the long list of things I have to catch up on and do. But I want to be a good partner and I want to do everything I can to make sure his agenda is going to be successful,' Mrs Clinton said. -- AFP