The North's Consultative Group on the Past has encouraged those affected by the Troubles to contact the organisation to share their views.
The group, which is headed by former Church of Ireland primate Lord Eames and former vice-chairman of the policing board Denis Bradley, yesterday widened their public engagement exercise by seeking opinions on the subject from Britain and Ireland.
In June, the group was asked by former northern secretary Peter Hain to try to achieve community consensus on how the bitter legacy of the past might be tackled. The group has placed advertisements in Belfast, Dublin and London newspapers seeking views.
Lord Eames and Mr Bradley's group also issued an open letter yesterday encouraging people affected by the conflict to contact the organisation.
"Our aim is to hear the widest possible range of views, including the views of people who consider that they are victims of the past. We will also give careful consideration to requests from people who wish to meet us," Lord Eames and Mr Bradley said in their letter.
"We are very aware that there will be many people living or working in the Republic of Ireland, in England and elsewhere that will also have been affected by the past. To those people we would say that your views are equally important to us and we would be pleased to hear from you," they added.
"Working together we can help ensure that we move towards a society that has not forgotten the past but, equally, does not allow it to be a barrier to a shared future. If you or your group have a perspective on the past, the lessons to be learned, and, importantly, suggestions on the steps that might be taken to support Northern Ireland society in the future, we would urge you to make those views known to us."
The group is hoping to issue recommendations by the summer of next year "on steps that might be taken to support Northern Ireland society in building a shared future that is not overshadowed by the events of the past".
