July 24, 2003	Thursday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 23, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, July 23: Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Richard Myers is due to come to Pakistan next week for consultations, informed sources told Dawn on Wednesday.

General Myers will meet President General Pervez Musharraf and Pakistan’s top military brass, sources said.

Deployment of Pakistani troops along the Afghan border, resurgence of Al Qaeda, defence equipment required by Pakistan, US-India military ties will be among issues that will figure in the talks here, military sources said.

Gen Myers’s visit gains in significance from the fact that he serves as the principal military advisor to the US president, the defence secretary and the National Security Council.

His visit comes in the wake of the announcement of a $1.5 billion defence aid package for Pakistan last month. The package was part of the total aid of $3 billion announced by President Bush after his meeting with President Musharraf at Camp David.

Officials here expect General Myers to repeat the US request for Pakistani troops for the so-called ‘stabilization force’ in Iraq.