New Delhi, July 26: With a fresh UN resolution on Iraq to give a broader mandate to enable more countries to participate in stablisation force on the cards, the US is likely to renew its request to New Delhi to send troops to Iraq, during the two-day visit from Monday of the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard B Myers. Myers, who would be the first top most US official to visit India, weeks after it turned down a proposal to send troops to Iraq, would hold intensive negotiations with National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra and top defence officials, including chairman of the chief of staffs committee Admiral Madhvendera Singh.
During his two-day visit here, Myers would also hold talks with the Army Chief Gen N C Vij and the new defence secretary Ajay Prasad who is also the co-chairman of the Indo-US Defence Policy Group (DPG).
Besides, military-to-military interaction, India is likely to ask the US for an institutional tie-up to enable it to interact with US Central Command besides the Hawai-based Pacific Command.
New Delhi's request for such a tie-up would be logical if India is to send troops to Iraq which falls under the American Central Command and also oversees US interests in Gulf, Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. Bureau Report