Hagel in India to boost defence ties

NEW DELHI, Aug 8 (AFP): US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel met India's prime minister in Delhi Friday, seeking to boost weapons sales to a new government eager to modernise its military.
India is the world's biggest arms importer and military trade is high on the agenda for the three-day trip, which comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first official visit to Washington next month.
"The US wants to be a partner in India's military modernisation, and recognises India's need to strengthen their defence-industrial base," Hagel said on his official Twitter account.
Indian officials say they are close to finalising a $1.4 billion deal to buy at least 22 US Apache and 15 Chinook helicopters.
The United States is also keen to secure greater military cooperation with India as its seeks to counter growing Chinese firepower in Asia.
During the meeting Modi and Hagel also discussed the situation in Afghanistan, as US Secretary of State John Kerry visits Kabul to try to resolve disputed elections that have raised fears of civil war.
India has voiced concern about instability in Afghanistan as the United States prepares to withdraw its troops.
Modi told Hagel that a smooth transition of power in Afghanistan was essential for sustaining progress towards peace and stability, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.
Hagel, who is also due to meet his Indian counterpart Arun Jaitley on Friday, is in Delhi ahead of Modi's first official visit to Washington in September.
The United States has been racing to make up for lost time in building ties with Modi, a Hindu nationalist leader who was denied a US visa in 2005 over allegations he turned a blind eye to anti-Muslim riots as leader of the state of Gujarat.
On Wednesday, the Indian cabinet agreed to increase the limit on foreign direct investment in defence to 49 percent from 26 percent, in a move to attract international capital.