Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha invited his counterparts from South Africa, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and from Brazil, Celso Amorim, the official said.

The meeting was to be followed later Thursday by discussions between officials of the three sides, the senior Indian foreign ministry official said.

"The talks are part of the India, Brazil, South Africa Dialogue Forum which was set up in June last year and will focus on matters of mutual interest and concerns," he told AFP at the start of the talks.

Brazil has been seeking a free-trade deal among developing countries as a way of offsetting the trading clout of developed nations, and is keen to work on a trilateral agreement with India and South Africa.

The two-day talks also aim to chart a plan to explore a free-trade agreement, the official said, adding that talks on public health and strategies to combat HIV/AIDS were likely to be discussed.

The official rejected news reports that South African Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang was in New Delhi to cut a deal with her Indian and Brazilian counterparts on the co-manufacture of vital pharmaceutical products.

Brazil has sent its health ministry officials Santiago Alcazar and Antonio Barbosa, while South Africa sent its deputy director-general of health, M. Matsau and chief health director H. Zokusa, the official said.

India and Brazil are leaders among developing countries, which banded together at the failed World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks in Cancun last September to press the developed world to phase out farm subsidies.

The Cancun talks collapsed after delegates failed to agree on eliminating farm subsidies in industrialised nations and proposals to extend the WTO mandate to cross-border investment.

Sinha, Amorim and Dlamini-Zuma will also discuss ways of creating strong trading partnerships with China and Russia to make their presence felt at the WTO.

Seven interactive sessions on themes ranging from energy to development have also been planned for the two-day forum.