Updated on Thursday, May 14, 2009, 21:51 IST

New Delhi, May 14: Much before the conflict in Sri Lanka intensified, the United States had sent a Military Assessment Team there to understand the situation in the island nation.

"We had sent a military assessment team about two to three months ago under a Brigadier General of the United States Marine Corps to Sri Lanka to work with our embassy there and abide by the situation.

We prepared a range of military options that were and remain available (for the crisis)," US Pacific Command Chief Admiral Timothy J Keating said here when asked if the US was prepared to carry out humanitarian relief operations in Sri Lanka.

The US Pacific Commander was on a day-long visit to India and met Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta, National Security Adviser M K Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon.

He said the Sri Lankan issue was not discussed during his meetings with Indian officials today.

"There was no specific discussion on way ahead for India and US in Sri Lanka," Keating said.

He added that the issue of increasing Chinese role in Sri Lanka also did not form part of his parleys with navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta.

Admiral Keating added that US had called on the Tamil tigers to cease and desist and asked the Sri Lanka government to be more vigorous in pursuing a solution.

Bureau Report