A proposed amnesty for people who give evidence to a truth commission in Northern Ireland would be unacceptable to the families of those who lost relatives because of terrorism, the DUP warned today.
The Democratic Unionists denounced a suggestion by the chairman of Northern Ireland's Policing Board, Professor Desmond Rea, that a truth commission should be set up to deal with all losses of life during The Troubles and heal the pain of those who have lost friends and relatives.
Lagan Valley MP Mr Jeffrey Donaldson said Prof Rae's proposals, which would include an amnesty for paramilitaries, police and soldiers, amounted to a mechanism for letting "terrorists off the hook".
He said: "We do not support in any way the proposals put forward by Prof Rae for a de-facto amnesty and some sort of truth commission.
"We believe there has to be some sort of victims' commission established properly by the government to support the victims of terrorist violence, rather than this other proposal which effectively lets terrorists off the hook."
After a meeting at Stormont between the DUP and Northern Ireland Secretary Mr Paul Murphy, Mr Donaldson claimed the British government had assured his party that Professor Rae was wrong last week to claim that the ministers regarded the last 30 years as "some kind of war".
He declared: "They see it as a terrorist conflict, terrorist activity, which must be dealt with through the due process," he continued.
"We welcome that clear statement by the government."
The Lagan Valley MP also said his party did not accept the comment by the Police Service of Northern Ireland's Chief Constable that he did not have enough resources to deal with past crimes.
DUP Policing Board member Mr Ian Paisley junior also criticised Prof Rae, claiming the setting up of a commission and the granting of an amnesty to Republican and Loyalist terror group members involved in past crimes was an admission that the police and courts couldn't do their job.
Mr Paisley said: "We made it clear to the Secretary of State that if he accepts what Des Rae was saying, he accepts the police have no power and no ability to do their job and, worse still, the courts cannot do their job.
"It would be an admission of failure. We do not accept that.
"We believe the courts do have a role to play here and that no doors should be closed to them in hunting down the men of violence, no matter how long ago or how early their crimes were committed."
The DUP delegation confirmed it had again raised the question of when the government was planning to release retired Canadian judge Peter Cory's report on four controversial killings in northern Ireland and whether there should be enquiries in to them.
The British government has refused to release the report that focuses on the murders of solicitors Pat Finucane and Rosemary Nelson, catholic father of two Robert Hamill and Loyalist Volunteer Force leader Billy Wright until all legal and security implications have been taken into account.
The DUP's Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA Ms Arlene Foster said her party had no reservations about getting involved in a debate about a truth commission.
But she added: "The problem is that we are still dealing with the terrorist acts and violent acts that are still going on."
PA