Soon after her arrival, she told reporters that relations between France and India were longstanding and very important.

Alliot-Marie later left for a visit to the northern town of Agra, famed for its marble monument to love, the Taj Mahal.

According to a statement from the French embassy in New Delhi, Alliot-Marie will meet Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani and her Indian counterpart George Fernandes on Monday.

She will also hold talks with the chiefs of India's army, navy and airforce, the release added.

According to Indian officials, Alliot-Marie's talks here were likely to focus on the sale of submarines and warplanes for India's armed forces.

India plans to buy at least 130 multi-role fighters, and French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation is pursuing talks with New Delhi on selling a number of its Mirage 2000s/2000-5 warplanes.

Other rivals in the race are Lockheed Martin of the United States, which is offering its F-16 fighting Falcons and Russia with its upgraded MiG-29 and Sukhoi-30MKI warplanes.

India also plans to build six French-designed Scorpene submarines for its navy and is in negotiations to finalise the deal.

New Delhi plans to make the submarines at Mazagon Docks in western India as there is no proposal to purchase the submarine outright, officials said.

The total value of the contracts generated by the project is estimated at around two billion euros (2.1 billion dollars).

Earlier this year defence officials said the diesel-propelled Scorpenes, each weighing about 1,600 tonnes when underwater, would be built over 15 years at Mazagon.

France would transfer some technology and equipment and provide "technical assistance" to India, through the French defence group Thales and the state-run Direction des Constructions Navales.

The first Indian-built Scorpene is expected to be ready in 2010 and the sixth in 2016.

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