United States Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage arrives in Delhi Tuesday on a two-day visit for talks with the Manmohan Singh government on carrying forward the strategic partnership besides discussing Iraq, Afghanistan and other issues, including a role for Indian troops in Iraq.
Sticking to protocol, Armitage is being hosted by National Security Adviser J N Dixit. The US deputy secretary is equivalent to Minister of State rank here. He will also have discussions with Foreign Secretary Shashank.
This is part of the regular interaction between India and the US, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna told reporters in New Delhi.
The talks to be held on Wednesday would centre on bilateral relations besides covering regional and international issues, he said.
During the National Democratic Allliance rule, then foreign minister Jaswant Singh has regularly met Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott and his successor Yashwant Singh has led talks with Armitage.
Armitage will call on External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee . He is also expected to call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Washington views the visit, the first by a senior member of the Bush administration to India after the new government assumed office here, as "very important."
The situation in Iraq is expected to figure prominently during talks Armitage will hold in India.
The US feels that India should "reassess" its approach towards Iraq in view of the transition process which has begun there under UN mandate. Washington would like India to clearly spell out its policy on Iraq.
Prime Minister Singh has firmly ruled out in Parliament the question of sending Indian troops to Iraq. But State Department spokesperson Richard Boucher said in Washington Monday that Indian troop contributions to Iraq will certainly be on the agenda.
"I think the Deputy Secretary already mentioned in an interview last week that that (sending troops to Iraq) was one of the issues he would be taking up during the course of his trip to South Asia," Boucher said.
"There is the possibility that some governments might want to step forward and participate in forces to protect the United Nations operations in Iraq," he said.
He was responding to reports that Pakistan may send troops to Iraq to protect the UN representative in Iraq, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, who is from Pakistan.
"We are having discussions with other governments, including governments in South Asia, about how they might contribute to security in Iraq," Boucher said.
Armitage will reach India Tuesday to hold talks with leaders including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He would fly to Islamabad on Wednesday.
Washington has been hoping that after the transitional government assumed charge in Iraq last month, India and other countries would reconsider sending their troops.
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