Legislation to drop prosecutions for offences committed before the signing of the Good Friday Agreement is set to be introduced by the British Government.
The Northern Secretary told MPs at Westminster today that the proposals will include suspects who have not benefited from the early release scheme. The legislation will be introduced within the next few weeks.
The principle was agreed by the two governments during last summer's Weston Park talks. They agreed not to pursue the prosecutions of those involved in terrorist-related crimes committed before April 1998, when the Good Friday Agreement was signed.
The Taoiseach and Tony Blair considered this to be a natural development of the early release scheme introduced by the Agreement.
Dr John Reid today confirmed that the required new legislation is on its way. The British want to introduce these proposals before Easter. The vast majority of beneficiaries will be Republicans.
Suspects who could qualify under the new legislation would include those responsible for the 1993 Warrington bombing in which two children died.
Unionists say that it is another concession to the IRA, and it will cause more problems for David Trimble within his own party.
