India is likely to ask the US for an institutional tie-up wherein it can also interact with the US Central Command, and not the Hawaii-based Pacific Command alone. The issue is expected to come up during the proposed visit of a US delegation led by US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, General Richard B. Myers. Sources said mutually convenient dates were being worked out for the visit. India is expected to convey to Myers that since its interests extended from Malacca right up to the Gulf of Aden, so it also needed to closely interact with the Central Command which included Pakistan and some Gulf countries. The Iraq issue is likely to come up during discussions. Myers is believed to make another attempt to convince India to send troops to Iraq. Moreover, strengthening of military to military ties is expected to be one of the main issues.
