India Dismisses Reports About Its Missiles Targeting Strategic Sri Lankan Sites

New Delhi, Sept 29, IRNA -- India on Thursday dismissed reports that its missiles targeted strategic Sri Lankan locations, calling them "completely baseless and fabricated." In a statement, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said that India has a longstanding indigenous missile development program, which is defensive in nature and not directed against any country, pti reported. "Speculation on such sensitive issues in a manner calculated to mislead, is out of tune with the spirit of the friendly and close relations India and Sri Lanka enjoy, including in the fields of defense and security," it said. The statement, which dismissed these reports as "completely baseless and fabricated", came as Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa expressed his satisfaction over his personal meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi last week. "The visit was successful. It helped in further strengthening of our long and historical relations with India as our closest neighbor," Rajapaksa said during his monthly interaction with media. Rajapaksa visited Madhya Pradesh on September 19 to lay the foundation stone for a Buddhist University in Sanchi and met Singh in Delhi. Rajapaksa's secretary Lalith Weeratunga, who was with the President at the media interaction, said Sri Lanka was keeping a tab on the latest developments. Action would be taken to review the advisory depending on the developments, Weeratunga said./end