Arlene Foster seeks accord on legacy issues

The First Minister urged Sinn Fein and the British Government to come to an accord and said she is disappointed outstanding details could not be addressed sooner.

Republicans have been seeking guarantees surrounding investigations into the state’s role during the conflict.

Mrs Foster said: “In relation to legacy issues, we were disappointed that they were not dealt with in the Fresh Start (Agreement).

“We will of course be meeting with the Secretary of State in the very near future to look at those issues again.

“It is actually a very small issue that needs to be sorted out but a very important issue between Sinn Fein and the Government.”

She added: “It is whether there is a will to sort it out between Sinn Fein and the Government.”

The Fresh Start Agreement was signed between the governments and parties before Christmas.

But senior PSNI officers said the lack of consensus on new mechanisms to deal with the past was a disappointment not only to the police, but also to many bereaved families.

A proposed new independent Historical Investigations Unit (HIU), which would have taken on the PSNI’s responsibility for outstanding Troubles murder investigations, has not yet been approved.

An impasse between Sinn Fein and the UK Government over the disclosure of classified documents last year presented an obstacle in the way of establishing the HIU.

Without consensus, the PSNI’s Legacy Investigations Branch (LIB) will continue to carry out the probes.

Arguably the most high-profile case the LIB is currently working on is the murder investigation into the British Army killings of 14 civil rights demonstrators on Bloody Sunday in Londonderry in 1972.