Delegation-level talks began at 10:00 am (0430 GMT) and were likely to last through the day.

The Pentagon team is led by Peter Rodman, the assistant secretary of defence for international security affairs, and the Indian side by a senior joint secretary in the ministry of external affairs, the official said.

The meeting was to be followed by talks with Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibbal and national security adviser Brajesh Mishra.

According to Indian government sources and media reports, the discussions would centre on four to five key areas, including in which areas of Iraq would Indian troops be deployed and under whose command.

New Delhi, according to sources, wants the troops to be posted in "non-conflict" areas such as north Iraq.

India, furthermore, does not favour sending combat troops primarily due to the risk of its men being killed in the action as has been the case with US troops stationed in Iraq.

Last week, US ambassador to India Robert Blackwill told reporters the United States was not seeking combat troops from India and that if New Delhi does decide to send its troops, they would work under the Indian flag and not the US flag.

However, in the absence of a United Nations umbrella, India is likely to press for the creation of a peacekeeping force under international control -- such as the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.

This may allow the Indian government to tide over stiff political resistance at home.

The government is also faced with the predicament of having issued a call from parliament asking for the "immediate withdrawal" of troops from Iraq.

Just how many men will be needed was also to be debated. Sources said Washington requested one division, approximately 17,000 men -- far more than any past peacekeeping missions by Indian forces.

The time-frame is another key area of concern -- India is reluctant to commit troops on an open-ended basis.

The question of who will pay for the mission will also be discussed with the Pentagon officials, sources said.

Since the deployment is not under the United Nations, the question of footing the bill for such a huge commitment assumes importance.

Past experience has been that New Delhi has not been compensated for its deployment to peacekeeping operations elsewhere.

New Delhi, the sources said, also wants clarification on how soon an interim government is likely to be put in place in Iraq.

The leader of India's main opposition Congress party, Sonia Gandhi, met Sunday with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to convey the concerns of her party on troop deployment in Iraq.

After the meeting, Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha said any decision on the issue would be taken after a national consensus and after speaking to all concerned.

A meeting of all political parties is likely soon to discuss the issue.

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