NEW DELHI, Nov 28: India and the United States on Wednesday began talks on long-term defence cooperation as well as the Afghanistan situation, a government spokesman said.

Admiral Dennis C. Blair, the commander-in-chief of the US Pacific Command, met Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes after talks with senior Indian military officials, the spokesman said.

“On the opening day of his three-day tour, Blair held extensive discussions with the Army Chief General S. Padmanabhan, Naval Chief Admiral Sushil Kumar, and Defence Secretary Yogendera Narain,” said the spokesman.

“A 50-minute presentation was made before Blair on India’s experience in battling terrorism,” he added.

The spokesman said India shared first-hand accounts of its battle strategy and tactics to fight guerillas.

During his trip, Blair will visit Jodhpur, in Rajasthan, to meet heads of army and air force units stationed along India’s border with Pakistan.

His visit — the second in two months — is one of many made by top United States officials since the Sept 11 attacks.

Secretary of State Colin Powell visited New Delhi last month and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made a trip earlier this month.

Hot on Blair’s heels will be Douglas Feith, undersecretary of policy at the Pentagon, who is visiting on Dec 4.

US Ambassador to India Robert D. Blackwill said Blair would discuss US-India military-to-military long-term cooperation, while Feith would hold talks on “defence cooperation, including arms sales to India by the US, as well as the general security situation in Asia”.

Blackwill also said both countries were at the “beginning of a very important arms sales relationship”.

Blackwill also said US restrictions on the sale of military supplies to India were likely be lifted soon.

India has so far been largely dependent on arms sales from Russia.

It has also procured some defence hardware from France, Britain and Israel.

There have been media reports that Washington had requested India to provide naval protection for United States ships in the Indian Ocean and allow training facilities for American troops — claims which Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh has denied.—AFP