"General Campbell today held talks on routine matters with our army chief," the spokesman for the defence ministry told AFP.

"It was a goodwill and routine visit as such trips have been taking place annually," he said.

Campbell, who arrived Friday for a five-day visit, placed a wreath Saturday at a memorial in the Dhaka Cantonment military barracks for soldiers killed during Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.

He will also hold talks with other senior officers and visit military installations.

The spokesman denied Campbell's visit had any links with a US call to send Bangladeshi troops to Iraq. More than 3,000 troops from the predominantly Muslim country are deployed as United Nations peacekeepers around the world.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell on a visit to Dhaka Thursday said he had discussed a potential deployment with Bangladeshi officials.

"We would certainly welcome Bangladeshs participation as the Iraqi people begin the immense task of reconstruction," Powell said.

However, Bangladesh, which opposed the Iraq war, has said it would only send troops to Iraq under the aegis of the United Nations.

Fellow South Asian countries India and Pakistan have also mulled deploying forces to Iraq.

WAR.WIRE