India, US Talk Security as Def Jt Working Gp Meets

New Delhi, Apr 11 (UNI) Top Indian and US defence planners, in a meeting here, focussed on the security scenario in the sub-continent, events unfolding in Afghanistan and took stock of the growing military might of China, especially its acquisition of anti-space weapons.

The planners met under the umbrella of the First India and US Defence Joint Working Group which also reviewed the pace of growing military-to-military cooperation and interaction between the two countries.

A Defence Ministry Spokesperson later said about the meeting yesterday that the discussions were ''intense and held in a cordial atmosphere''.

While the US side was led by Deputy Under Secretary of Defence (Asian and Pacific Affairs) Richard P Lawless, the Indian side was led by Director General (Acquisition) in the Defence Ministry S Banerjee, The Joint Working Group conducted a mid-year review of the progress made in projects outlined by the Indo-US Defence Policy Group -- the apex mechanism for Indo-US military-to-military relations.

This is a part of NSSP (Next Steps in Strategic Partnership) -- a diplomatic initiative between the United States and India on cooperation in strategic areas such as nuclear, space and military.

UNI