The Irish and British governments will not rush to reconsider new legislation to deal with the so-called "on-the-run" paramilitary fugitives.
Plans to address the OTRs question were put on hold in Dublin yesterday following the scrapping of British legislation at Westminster. Northern Secretary Peter Hain sensationally announced the decision after Northern Ireland Questions. MPs, many of whom were expecting a statement outlining government amendments to the Bill, greeted his surprise announcement with cheers.
Dublin confirmed shortly afterwards that the Government's plan for presidential pardons for a small number of fugitives would be held in abeyance. No moves to grant pardons will proceed unless parallel measures are adopted in London, The Irish Times was told.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said: "It was just not politically feasible for [ the British government] to proceed." The British Bill was already facing a chorus of opposition in parliament from all sides, including every Northern Ireland MP who had taken a seat.
Under its terms, paramilitaries suspected of terrorist offences before Good Friday 1998 would have been free to return without fear of a prison sentence, thus ending an anomaly whereby paramilitary prisoners had been freed on licence but suspects were still wanted.
Under the same terms, the Bill would also have allowed members of the British army and the police, also suspected of crimes, to avoid a prison term. It was the inclusion of this which, republicans say, caused Sinn Féin to withdraw support.
Mr Hain admitted at Westminster that the loss of Sinn Féin support for the measure last month and the instruction that no republican should have anything to do with it had forced his hand.
All Northern parties, victims' groups, police officers' representatives and the Human Rights Commission welcomed the announcement, but for starkly different reasons.
The DUP and Ulster Unionists referred to the Bill as "hideous" and "odious" while Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said the British government was in breach of its commitments to deal with the issue. He said ministers were guilty of a "serious act of bad faith by the British government".
The SDLP, repeating claims to have forced Sinn Féin into dropping its support for the Bill, also greeted the move. Party leader Mark Durkan demanded "a proper process for truth, recognition and remembrance".
The Police Federation said it had resented the consideration of security forces members alongside paramilitaries.
For the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, Prof Monica McWilliams said the Bill was "incompatible with international human rights standards". The chief commissioner said she was particularly worried about what she called "a lack of clarity" in relation to the victims of violence.
Relatives of both paramilitary and security forces victims also welcomed the news. Represen-tatives of nationalist and republican families were angry at the inclusion of the security forces under the Bills. Unionist victims' groups accused the government of pandering to Sinn Féin concerns.
Government sources last night said there was little chance of fresh moves to deal with the issue until October. It was also suggested that greater preparation was needed, especially in relation to victims' concerns.
Mr Hain said last night the Bill would not be returned to Parliament or "recycled".
He stood by the decision to include former security forces members under the scope of the Bill. Exclusion of them would have been illogical and indefensible.
"Closure on the past cannot be one-sided," he said. "That was, and is, non-negotiable." Sinn Féin said last night it would continue to press the British government to honour its commitments on OTRs, claiming that legislation was not necessary.