New Delhi, Feb 20 (PTI) A three-day meeting between Indian and American officials to finalise the legal text for an interim trade agreement will begin in the US on February 23, an official said on Friday.

Earlier this month, India and the US released a joint statement to announce that a framework for an interim trade agreement has been finalised.

The joint statement lays down the contours of the deal. Now, the contours of the deal have to be translated into a legal agreement, which will be signed between the two sides. It is expected to be signed in March.

The Indian and the US team will start their three-day meeting from Monday, the official said.

Indian team will be headed by chief negotiator Darpan Jain, who is a joint secretary in the Commerce Ministry.

Under the interim trade pact, both sides would extend duty concessions to each other on a number of goods traded between them.

The US has announced that it will reduce the reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods from 25 per cent to 18 per cent. It has already eliminated the 25 per cent punitive tariffs on India for buying Russian crude oil. PTI RR HVA

Interim trade agreement legal text to be finalised, codifying reciprocal tariff concessions and paving way for signature. A three-day bilateral meeting will finalise the legal text converting the previously agreed framework into an interim trade agreement to be signed by the two governments; the agreement will codify reciprocal duty concessions and specific tariff adjustments, with the Indian negotiating team led by the chief negotiator.