PRIU said Narayanan and Menon are members of the said panel

The Policy Research & Information Unit (PRIU) of the Presidential Secretariat said on Thursday the panel was established during a visit by three senior officials to Delhi from 3-4 September.

"The PRIU is informed that there was no decision among those who participated in these discussions to establish an Indo-Lanka High Level Committee on defence," a statement issued by PRIU stated on Sunday.

Indo- Lanka relations

Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Defence Secretary Gothabhaya Rajapaksa and Senior Advisor to the President Basil Rajapaksa have met senior Indian officials in Delhi.

The PRIU regrets this error and apologizes to the members of the Sri Lanka delegation and the Indian officials they had discussions with, and to the media, in this regard PRIU statement

"Defence Secretary Shri Vijay Singh, External Affairs Secretary Shivshankar Menon and National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan," are representing India in the high level committee, according to the Thursday's PRIU statement.

Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told jouralists on Friday that the visit was part of a regular exchange of visits between the two countries.

Kohona confirms

"The story is referring to was part of the regular exchange of visits that takes place very often between India and Sri Lanka given our close neighbourly relations," Sarna said.

	Foreign Secretary said he stood by earlier PRIU statement

The Sri Lankan delgation have covered many aspects of Indo-Lanka relations, aacordin to the statement by the Presidential Secretariat.

"The PRIU regrets this error and apologizes to the members of the Sri Lanka delegation and the Indian officials they had discussions with, and to the media, in this regard," Sunday's statement added.

Sri Lanka Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona on Friday told BBC Sandeshaya that he stood by the Government statement on appointing the high-level committee.