US Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived in New Delhi on Monday night on a two-day visit for talks during which India is likely to convey its concerns over nuclear proliferation in its neighbourhood.

US Ambassador David Mulford and protocol officer M P Singh received Powell, who arrived by a special US Air Force plane.

New Delhi's concerns have been reinforced following the admission by Pakistan's top nuclear scientist A Q Khan of illegally exporting sensitive technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea.

Powell will start his engagements on Tuesday with a meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and then have wide-ranging discussions with External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha.

He will have meetings with Finance Minister Jaswant Singh and National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra before calling on Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the evening.

Powell will later visit Afghanistan and Pakistan, where he will meet President Pervez Musharraf and other leaders.