“We have always said that it is critical that Northern Ireland addresses its past, and that in doing so, the process must assist in building reconciliation and be consistent with a shared future.
“A full blown South African style Truth and Reconciliation Commission was never feasible in our situation, but the proposed special Commission in the case of Northern Ireland may be able to play a belated role in addressing important needs across the community.
“Alliance notes in particular the difference between amnesty and the more limited concept of immunity, which has already been used in dealing with decommissioning and potentially recovering the remains of ‘the Disappeared’.
“The crucial issue that remains unclear is what incentives can now be used for paramilitaries to provide information, given that the practical chance of prosecution in today’s terms is already quite low.”
ENDS