Diplomacy, Discovery on Obama's agenda

WASHINGTON, March 3 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama meets with his national security team for the monthly meeting on Afghanistan and Pakistan Thursday, the White House said.

Expected to attend either in person or through video conferencing are Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry and Gen. David Petraeus, commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan, the daily schedule indicated.

In the afternoon, Obama and Biden will meet with Mexican President Felipe Calderon in the Oval Office. The vice president will also attend.

Obama will call the crews of the space shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station as Discovery conducts its final mission in orbit during the evening, the White House said. Obama will congratulate the crews on their achievements in support of the research lab and thank them for their work in space exploration.