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The ultimate objective of the current peace process is not to introduce piecemeal amendments on devolution to the Constitution but to introduce a completely new Constitution that will reflect the aspirations of the people, Constitutional Affairs, Industrial Development and Investment Promotion Minister G.L. Peiris said yesterday. Delivering the keynote address at the launch of the People's Peace Commission, an organisation formed for opinion building through civil society action, the Minister said the new Constitution will focus on key areas like electoral reforms, safeguarding human rights, strengthening the Parliamentary system, devolution of power and ensuring transparency in public institutions.

"This new Constitution should be in conformity with the opinions of the people of Sri Lanka and be the result of a public debate on the problems of the country.

Organisations like the People's Peace Commission can play a vital role in the process of bridging the gap between the views of the State and its people," he said.

The Minister said that peace talks alone were not enough to find a solution to the ethnic conflict which at the end needs the approval of the people of the country.The People's Peace Commission which was established at the completion of one year of the ceasefire agreement between the government and the LTTE, comprises members of the society at large including religious leaders, politicians, scholars, journalists and artists.

The objectives of the Commission are to reach a social consensus through public participation on a possible solution for the national problem, to establish a new Sri Lankan identity and create a pluralistic participatory democratic structure.

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