The U.S. Embassy in Colombo had expressed its concern about the publication of an editorial in the state controlled Daily News about the recent terrorist attacks on two American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, official sources confirmed yesterday.

Senior officials said that the U.S. Charge d'affaire in Colombo, Mr. Richard. H. Smythe, had called on Mr. Nihal Rodrigo, Additional Secretary to the Foreign Ministry to express concern over the publication of these comments in what was regarded as a government newspaper.

Well informed sources said that Rodrigo had assured Smythe that what was stated in the editorial was not the view of the Colombo government. He was told "not to take the newspapers seriously,'' one source said.

At the time of Smythe's call on the foreign office, President Chandrika Kumaratunge's and Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar's statements on the terrorist strikes against the two U.S. embassies had not been made public.

Rodrigo was able to show these statements to the American diplomat and say that what was stated there represented Colombo's views.

The editorial in question titled "Why target the U.S.?'' said among other things that, "The West would be getting closer to the ideal approach to defusing terror, by finding out whether it has not aggrieved any party in the world community. Is or isn't it exercising its power arbitrarily and with complete disregard for the loss of human rights and lives?

"In the final analysis, aggression begets aggression.''

Well informed diplomatic sources said that the U.S. embassy here has also previously voiced concern about a perceived tilt towards Iraq by at least one state-owned newspaper.

But such concern too had been allayed by the Colombo foreign office.

"The don't take the newspapers seriously line has been used before,'' one well informed source said.