New Delhi: India's quest to modernize its military against a backdrop of China's burgeoning defense growth and an ongoing regional terrorism threat were the focus of talks planned Tuesday with US Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
The Pentagon chief was expected to raise the prospects of New Delhi's plan for a US$10 billion fighter jet purchase _ which features bids from major U.S. defense contractors Boeing Corp. and Lockheed Martin.
Gates arrived at midday for a series meetings with the prime minister, the minister of external affairs and other elected officials in the parliamentary government.
His visit comes during a somewhat volatile time in the region. Talks have stalled on a landmark nuclear cooperation pact between India and the United States, and New Delhi continues to eye nervously the ongoing unrest and terrorism threats in neighboring Pakistan.
While neither subject was a major topic on the agenda for Gates' sessions with Indian officials, they are unquestionably linked with efforts to broaden India's military cooperation with the U.S.
Officials also are likely to seek out India's perception of the level of stability in Pakistan, where embattled President Pervez Musharraf's party was upended in recent elections, triggering questions about his future in office.
Musharraf has been an close ally to the United States, particularly as the war across the border in Afghanistan drags on, fueled in part by al-Qaida insurgents and Afghan Taliban fighters hiding in the mountains straddling the two countries.
Russia has long been the prime arms supplier for India, but New Delhi has warmed and expanded defense relations with the U.S. in recent years.
Defense officials said the breadth of the defense relationship between Washington and New Delhi _ which includes military exercises and weapons buys _ is larger than any India has with other nations. And American companies are eagerly eyeing the lucrative contract for 126 fighters.
But U.S. officials have also warned that it would be naive to expect a decision on the fighter bids to come quickly, and that Indian elections projected for next year are likely to influence the pace of the process.
Already India has agreed to buy six of Lockheed's C-130J Hercules airlift aircraft, for roughly US$1 billion.
The principle motive for visiting India, Gates told reporters, is a recognition of the critical role it is playing in the region.
''One of things that has been the most, one of the most, significant changes since I came back to government in an interval of 15 years or so has been the significantly improved relationship between the United States and India,'' Gates said. ''And I want to see what we can do to not only strengthen that but perhaps expand it in other ways.''
A statement released Tuesday by India's defense ministry said Gates' visit ''will give a further impetus to the ongoing defense cooperation between our two countries.''
It said the presidency George W. Bush ''witnessed unprecedented acceleration in India-U.S. engagement.''
But talks between the two countries have stalled on the nuclear deal. The agreement would reverse decades of U.S. anti-proliferation policy with a country that has tested nuclear weapons and refused to sign nonproliferation treaties.
The agreement would allow the U.S. to send nuclear fuel and technology to India, which has been cut off from the global atomic trade. In return, New Delhi would separate its military and civilian nuclear programs, and allow international inspections at civilian facilities.
Officials from both countries _ including some members of U.S. Congress and India's communist parties _ have expressed opposition to the pact. Some Indians worry that it would exert U.S. influence over their country's foreign policy, while U.S. officials are concerned it could boost India's nuclear bomb stockpile.
Gates is on an eight-day, around-the-world trip, with visits to Australia, Indonesia, India and Turkey.
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