New Delhi: Notwithstanding India's rejection of a proposal to send troops to Iraq, its Defence co- operation with the US is expected to get a boost when a high-level American delegation led by chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen Richard B Myers arrives in Delhi in the next two weeks.

Official sources indicated that Washington was keen to engage New Delhi in intensive consultations and had also proposed advancing the annual Defence Policy Group (DPG) meeting between the two countries to the first week of August.

"The US has proposed August 4 to 6 as dates for the DPG and indicated that the venue of the meeting be changed from New Delhi to Washington", officials said without hazarding a guess whether it was part of new moves by Washington to woo India to rethink its participation in stabilisation force in Iraq.

Senior officials in Delhi said "a visit is in the offing, but no firm dates have yet been set."

The Defence Policy group meeting, the highest forum of Indo-US military to military dialogue, was scheduled to be held towards the end of August with India's turn to host it as the last two meetings were held in the US.

Highly placed officials said advancing DPG was a proposal from Washington and it would be discussed before any commitment was made on advancing the dates.

PTI