Director-General of the Israeli defence ministry, Major General Amos Yaron met Indian Air Force head, Chief Air Marshal S. Krishnaswamy for talks that lasted for nearly an hour, Indian and Israeli officials said.

"The two sides discussed a series of issues but their talks mainly focussed on our requirement for the three Phalcon AWACS systems for which there are no obstacles now," an Indian airforce official said on condition of anonymity.

Yaron's talks with Krishnaswamy came after an Israeli official accompanying Sharon told reporters here that the long-awaited deal would be signed within weeks.

The Phalcon is an Israeli-developed long-range radar warning and control system carried in a Russian Ilyushin-76 cargo plane.

"It will probably be another couple of weeks because of a couple of bureaucratic lapses, things that have to be worked out," an Israeli official said on condition that he not be named.

The official did not explain further, but Israeli defence sources hinted it was likely the source of the delay hinged on the issue of the transfer of source code for the system.

The United States, which had been blocking the sale of Phalcons to both India and China, gave Israel the go-ahead last month to sign the Airbourne Warning and Control System (AWACS) deal with New Delhi.

Sharon arrived here late Monday at the head of a high-powered delegation including chief executives of nine major Israeli armaments firms and on Tuesday met his Indian counterpart Atal Behari Vajpayee and others.

Indian officials said last week that while the two sides would discuss the sale of Israeli Phalcon AWACS during Sharon's stay they would not sign a pact for the systems.

Indian defence ministry sources said that the besides the Phalcon talks, Yaron and Krishnaswamy also discussed upgrading India's crash-plagued MiG-21 Russian fighter jets.

Yaron heading a two-member Israeli military team comprising Colonel Yoash Rubin and Colonel Moshe Kravitz also held a 75-minute meeting with Indian defence ministry's Chief Scientific Adviser, V. K. Atre, the sources said.

"The talks focussed on a possible collaboration between state-owned Israeli Aircraft Industry and India's Defence Research and Development Organisation for joint production of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones)," one source said.

The Israeli military team is set to hold a series of meetings Wednesday with Indian military planners and the talks are likely to accelerate the sale of Israeli Travos infantry weaponry for counter-insurgency operations, especially in Indian Kashmir.

Gen. Yaron will hold talks Wednesday with India's naval chief Admiral Madhvendera Singh and army chief General N.C. Vij while Defence Minister George Fernandes will call on Sharon after the day's negotiations.

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