New Delhi: US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca arrived in New Delhi past September 9 midnight on a week-long trip for talks on a host of bilateral, regional and international issues, including the Iraq situation and West Asia crisis.

Other subjects of mutual concern would also come up for discussion, an American Embassy Spokesman said on September 10.

Rocca begins her engagements with a meeting with joint secretary in External Affairs Ministry (Incharge, Pakistan Affairs) Arun Singh, which would be followed by interactions with Jayant Prasad (Americas) and territorial heads of other countries in the region. She will also call Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal.

Rocca's visit takes place at a time when the fate of the US draft resolution on Iraq at the UN is still uncertain amid indications that New Delhi is not inclined to send its troops to the war-ravaged country under the present circumstances.

"This is the latest of the series of meetings between officials of the two countries growing out of the 2001 agreement between President Bush and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to hold regular senior-level consultations," the spokesman said.

Observing that Rocca was in India for such a dialogue in September last year, he said on this trip, she had no plans of visiting any other country in South Asia.

Asked whether Rocca would press India to send troops to Iraq to participate in the stabilisation force, the spokesman said, "That is not the objective of the visit." He, however, added that the Iraq situation is expected to figure in the parleys.

PTI