Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States General Henry Shilton will visit India later this month to renew bilateral military ties, the Indian Express newspaper said yesterday.

Shilton's visit signalled Washington's willingness to restore military ties snapped in the aftermath of New Delhi's shock nuclear tests in May 1998, the daily said.

"The understanding is that Shilton would be coming to work on a closer relationship between the two nations' military forces in a move towards the normalisation of military contacts," it said.

The Indian Express added said this was the first "official signal" that Washinton recognised India as a nuclear power and wanted to lift sanctions to clear the way for weapons purchases and cooperation on nuclear energy.