National Freedom Front leader Wimal Weerawansa today said that the United National Party changed its stance on the constitutional reform process within a single day due to the the pressure from the Tamil National Alliance.

Speaking to the media at the NFF headquarters today, Weerawansa said that the Parliament cannot be converted into a Constitutional Assembly. Under the current legal provisions, a new constitution has to be drafted by a Parliamentary Select Committee, he maintained.

He added that the UNP agreed to this point in a Party Leaders' meeting held yesterday morning. Even the Prime Minister and the President agreed that the process should go through a Parliamentary Select Committee at meetings held in the evening, he added.

However, the UNP completely changed its stance again at the newx Party Leaders' meeting held late last night, he said, claiming that the TNA made the UNP change its stance. Accordingly, the Leader of the House Lakshman Kiriella had insisted that the process should be done by converting the Parliament into a Constitutional Assembly.

Weerawansa claimed that this was an attempt to bypass the Supreme Court and change the constitution.

He added that the SLFP members of the government and the JVP also opposed the mechanism suggested by the UNP and the TNA.