The cross-border organisation set up to try to recover the bodies of the so-called disappeared has issued a fresh appeal for information.
The Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains said there will be no further excavations of sites unless there is a good prospect of success.
The ‘disappeared’ were all kidnapped and murdered by republicans, mostly the IRA, during the Troubles and their bodies buried in secret.
So far only four bodies have been recovered - most recently the remains of Jean McConville which were found in 2003.
The commission has been in direct contact with members of the IRA and the INLA to try to find the bodies of the missing nine men.
It recently carried out unsuccessful searches in France and Monaghan.
Today the commission said it is doing everything it can to find the bodies and bring an end to the suffering of the victims’ families.
It has brought in a range of experts but says it still needs more help from those with information.
Unless the situation changes it is likely the commission's current programme of work will be completed before the end of next year - leading to the end of the search for the ‘disappeared’.
