Washington  - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and pending successor Hillary Clinton will meet over dinner Monday evening, the State Department said.

A State Department official confirmed the plans but did not provide details. President-elect Barack Obama named Clinton on December 1 to serve as his secretary of state.

If approved by the Senate, Clinton would become the third woman to hold the post, succeeding Rice and Madeleine Albright, who served in the position during Bill Clinton's second term.

Rice expressed confidence in an interview with ABC television that the former first lady will be a "terrific" secretary of state.

Clinton will resign as a US senator from New York to join Obama's team when he is sworn into office on January 20. (dpa)