US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage flew into New Delhi on Tuesday evening on a two-day visit for discussions with the leaders of India's new government.

He is supposed to meet with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Foreign Minister Natwar Singh and National Security Advisor J. N. Dixit to carry forward the "strategic partnership" besides discussing Iraq and other issues.

He is the first senior member of US President George W. Bush's administration to visit India after the Congress won the general elections in May.

Gaining a "clear understanding" of India's new government policy toward Washington is the major task of Armitage. After the new government took over, there has been some assumption that New Delhi's relations with US would lose some of its cordiality that marked joint relations during the previous regime.

On the contrary, both Manmohan Singh and Natwar Singh have saidthat India would maintain its close economic as well as strategic relations with US.

Armitage's visit follows Natwar Singh's talks in Washington with Secretary of State Colin Powell last month. It is a clear indication that both sides are eager to make sure that bilateral relations remained "at the highest level."

The situation in Iraq is expected to figure prominently during Armitage's talks with Indian leaders.

Even though India's new government has ruled out of sending troops to Iraq, some analysts believe Armitage would raise the question, at least urging India to support US policy on Iraq and international campaign against terrorism, which might boost the morale in Iraq and help American President George Bush to win the general election in November.

Another issue that might be mentioned in the bilateral talks would be the transfer of high technology to India and both sides hope to solve the differences in this sector.

US Ambassador to India David Mulford said that while New Delhi had no problem giving Washington assurances that it would not use the high technology it was importing from the US for dual purposes,the US remained nervous about sensitive technology that India was importing from a third nation.

The American official will also press India to further open itsmarket towards the American goods,particularly in the agricultural sector. Washington has been angered by the Indians for closing their market to the American goods.

The concentration of better Indo-US relations in the last few years has centered around the initiative 'Next Steps in Strategic Partnership (NSSP) that was declared by President Bush and the then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in last January.

Many believe that as the US enters the last lap in August before its Presidential election campaigns, both Washington and New Delhi are keen that there is forward movement in the bilateral relationship, and that's why Armitage comes to India this time.

Source: Xinhua