Sri Lanka urged to learn from India in creating a 'home-grown' constitution

Delivering the keynote address on the second day at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit at New Delhi, Rajapaksa said his government is equally determined to fight against the terrorism.

"It is necessary for me to repeat here that while my Government remains determined to fight terrorism, we are equally committed to seeking a negotiated and sustainable solution to the conflict in Sri Lanka," he told the gathering on Saturday.

Democratic solution

"If those who carry arms against the State are willing to enter a process of genuine negotiation towards a peaceful and democratic solution, the government and the people will reciprocate," President Rajapaksa added.

Rajapaksa held discussions with government and opposition political leaders and Bollywood star Sharukh Khan

The Sri Lankan President discussed bilateral issues with the Indian PM, Dr. Manmohan Singh, Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi and ministers after the speech on Saturday.

Rajapaksa re-iterated the importance of India's role in finding a political solution to Sri Lanka's national question.

"We find that India has evolved her own model of governance. This is a uniquely Indian approach which has led to India being universally applauded for its profoundly democratic and pluralist governance structure," he said.

'Home-grown' constitution

Absence of a "home-grown" system of governance is an issue that is currently been addressed by his government, President Rajapaksa said.

If those who carry arms against the State are willing to enter a process of genuine negotiation towards a peaceful and democratic solution, the government and the people will reciprocate President Mahinda Rajapaksa

"In Sri Lanka, which remains a vibrant democracy, we lacked the advantage of a Constitution drawn up by our own people in keeping with our own ideals of freedom and governance".

Learning from India's experience, Rajapaksa said, it is advisable for Sri Lanka to create its own constitution instead of the one that forced upon by the colonial powers.

Sri Lankan President held discussions with diplomats, government officials and representatives from main opposition, BJP, on Sunday.