While waiting for the outcome of intense discussions between Ireland and Britain over the Good Friday agreement and restoration of devolution to Northern Ireland, this week's Feature Article takes the time to review the 1989 murder of Pat Finucane and its ongoing investigation. New developments in the Middle East and around the world are reviewed in the News Highlights.

CONTENTS:

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:

1. World
2. Africa
3. Americas
4. Asia Pacific
5. Europe
6. Middle East
7. South Asia
8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare
9. Finance
10 Human Rights
11. Law and Legal Issues
12. Narco-terrorism
13. Transportation
14. Weapons of Mass Destruction
15. Recently Published

FEATURE ARTICLE:
Northern Ireland: The Finucane Case

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

1. World

Nemesis: the inescapable or implacable agent of someone's or something's downfall; a downfall caused by such an agent; retributive justice (from New Oxford American Dictionary). "Nemesis" is how the Economist headlined "America's moment in the Middle East" (April 12). In common with most recent press, coverage is focused more on the aftermath of the war, in which security, governance, reconstruction and financing remain open issues, rather than on the continued military activities. The military success has not surprised anyone, although the lack of resistance and the extent of looting were unexpected. The destruction of the national museum stands as a reprimand that will continue to serve as a reminder of the war, long after the humanitarian crisis is resolved.

A lingering question lies in the absence, so far, of banned weapons, that in turn leaves open the issue of whether an immediate military solution, with its attendant death and destruction, was the best way to proceed. All of these open issues continue to inspire international protests against the US-led military action.

The threat of emerging infectious diseases remains a greater global risk, but the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the food crisis in Africa affecting 40 million people, preventable diseases that kill five million children a year, and other issues of public health have been pushed to the background. The one exception is the emergence of Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that has begun to cause acute economic problems in Asia. Identification of the causal agent is near, as indicated in "Coronavirus as a possible cause of severe acute respiratory syndrome" by J S M Peiris et al in The Lancet, April 5 http://www.thelancet.com/journal/vol361/iss9364/full/

North Korea provided a surprising note at the end of the week with the suggestion that multilateral talks may be acceptable after all. Since the week began with disagreement within the UN Security Council over the best way to handle this crisis, this news is particularly welcome.

2. Africa

Algeria is concerned over the increasing number of disappearing tourists in the Sahara over the past seven weeks. Nearly thirty are missing and although it is possible they have merely misjudged travel in the desert, they may have been kidnapped. The Salafist Group for Call and Combat is active in the area, but no hostage demands have been made. a German GSG9 unit often used in hostage crises has joined the investigation team.

The Ebola outbreak in Congo Brazzaville has been contained.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, UN investigations into the alleged massacre of nearly a thousand civilians in the space of three hours have so far uncovered evidence of a much smaller disaster, with actual deaths believed to be under 300. Inquiries into the ethnic killings continue, and the perpetrators might be charged in the International Criminal Court. Additional concern is raised by the possible involvement of Uganda, charges they deny. Uganda has said it will withdraw its troops by the end of April, a promise that should help the peace process in a conflict that killed between 3.3 million and 4.7 million people during the four and a half year conflict. President Joseph Kabila of DR Congo has been sworn in as the transitional president for the next two years.

Fighting in Ivory Coast has resumed as government troops attacked and seized a rebel-held town in the west, breaking the ceasefire agreement in an already shaky peace process.

Expanding violence in Liberia has led to severe logistical problems for aid workers unable to meet the needs of the growing displaced population, many whom fled to Ivory Coast. Aid has been suspended because of the violence. Anti-government forces have expanded their attacks into the southeast coast. The government believes the rebel Liberians United for Reconstruction and Democracy (LURD) are responsible for the new attacks but it is possible that a new group has entered the picture.

In Nigeria, an explosion targeted against a major oil pipeline has disrupted supplies further. Ethnic violence in the Delta has continued. Nonetheless, legislative elections began on April 12 and presidential elections are scheduled for April 19. David White offers an interesting survey "Nigerian Elections: At the end of the 1980s, there were four democracies in the whole of Africa. Today there as many as 17" Financial Times April 11.

Sudan's government and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army continue peace talks while international observers arrive to monitor breaches of the temporary ceasefire.

In Uganda at the border with Kenya, cattle raiders of the Kenyan Pokot tribe attacked four villages, killing 28, burning over 200 homes from which some 10,000 people have fled, and stealing several thousand cattle. Elsewhere, the government reports killing fifty Lord's Resistance Army rebels in raids during the week. LRA rebels ambushed another convoy, killing nine and injuring dozens of civilians.

Zimbabwe's arbitrary opposition arrests and suppression of the media continue. The Commonwealth has issued a private report blaming human rights abuses and land seizures for the national famine. (Andrew Meldrum "Report adds to Mugabe's isolation" The Guardian April 10 http://www.guardian.co.uk/Print/0,3858,4644754,00.html) A documentary film about Zimbabwe's use of rape as a political weapon has been shown at Witwatersrand University in South Africa. See http://www.mg.co.za/Content/13.asp?ao=13016

3. Americas

Brazil's treatment of child prisoners was the subject of a Human Rights Watch report (http://www.hrw.org/reports/2003/brazil/) published shortly before a hundred children escaped from a detention center. So far this year, Brazilian prisons have had at least 30 internal revolts or jailbreaks.

Ontario, Canada and New York state in the US signed an agreement for a common security perimeter to improve cross-border trade.

Colombians gathered to demonstrate against child kidnappings used by guerilla groups to finance their operations. Jose de Cordoba reviews the situation in "Tense Borders, Armed Irregulars, U.S. Special Forces: It's Colombia. Washington's Involvement in South America Deepens; Mission: 'Kill the Terrorists'" The Wall Street Journal, April 11

Cuban courts have sentenced 75 journalists and activists to sentences as long as 27 years. The three men convicted of hijacking a ferry last week have been executed by firing squad.

Surviving Honduras prison inmates involved in the gang-led riot last week that killed 68, are all back in jail.

Mexican farmers involved in radical protests against NAFTA and current land rights appear ready to accept subsidies in a new agreement that will be developed over the next few weeks.

Peru's former President Fujimori, whose extradition to Peru on corruption and murder charges has been refused by his adopted home of Japan, is the subject of an international campaign by human rights groups to force the extradition.

US financial services regulators have developed a number of disaster recovery recommendations to help prevent future disruption, but did not specify detailed requirements on how the recommendations should be implemented.

In Los Angeles, California, the FBI investigation into the LA Airport shootings last year has found it was an act of terrorism but that the shooter, Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, acted alone and had no connections to any terrorist group.

In Chicago, Illinois, Mayor Daley ordered a downtown airport be bulldozed in the middle of the night to help prevent a terrorist attack.

In New York City, New York, the police will no longer question peace protesters about previous political activities nor will they record the information in a database. Current files will be destroyed.

Venezuela has marked a year since the attempted coup with rallies and demonstrations. A bomb exploded where government and opposition meetings were held to agree there would be no referendum on President Chavez's presidency until August, but everyone had left at the time of the explosion.

4. Asia Pacific

Australia has added Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Asbat al-Ansar, Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Islamic Army of Aden and Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan to its list of banned terrorist organizations.

Cambodia's proposed agreement on the special court to try former Khmer Rouge leaders is being reviewed in the UN, which is likely to oversee implementation of the terms given the precarious judicial systems inside Cambodia.

East Timor prosecutors have indicted 21 Indonesians for crimes against humanity committed in 1999. Five of these had been previously acquitted in Indonesian court. Indonesia has not extradited any of the more than 200 people indicted by East Timor.

Indonesia's peace agreement with Aceh rebels is close to collapse following attacks against peace monitors and a clash with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in which nine rebels were killed.

Japan's ministry of justice has warned of potential threats remaining from the Aum Shrinrikyo cult, now renamed Aleph. (See http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2939397.stm)

Malaysia is the subject of a special survey in The Economist, April 5. Concerned by teachings in Islamic schools, the government has stopped the state subsidy. The human rights office has called for repeal of the Internal Security Act.

In the Philippines, the bomb attacks in Davao that killed 16 and injured more than 50, there have been two arrests. Some authorities have blamed the two attacks on Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) elements linked with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). JI has conducted other attacks against civilians, but MILF has focused on government and military targets.

South Korea and the US are discussing US force reductions and their relocation further south away from the capital Seoul.

5. Europe

In France, two bottles discovered at a Paris rail station and thought to contain ricin have been analyzed and found to hold a harmless mixture of barley and wheat germ.

German police raided 80 buildings around the country in a crackdown against suspected members of Hizb ut-Tahrir, a banned Islamic militant group.

Slovenia is featured in a World Report by the Financial Times, April 8.

Serbia's new prime minister Zoran Zivkovic has pledged to arrest all war crimes suspects wanted by the UN tribunal in The Hague. Evidence obtained from suspected Djindjic assassin Jovanovic indicates the prime minister's assassination was part of a plot to overthrow the government and return Milosevic allies to power.

Russian human rights violations in Chechnya have received renewed attention following reports of disappearances, summary execution, torture and harassment. Four mass graves have been found. 22 European countries have submitted a proposed resolution to the UN asking that these actions be condemned. Meanwhile, in Chechnya, rebels continued fighting government troops. A land mine killed five police and three civilians; four soldiers were killed in fighting; another died while defusing a bomb; and rebels shot one. 180 suspected rebels were arrested.

In the UK, attempts to deport Abu Hamza al-Masri, a militant Islamic cleric stripped of his British citizenship, are in the courts. Adding an additional level of complexity, Yemen has requested his extradition on terrorism charges.

The proposed UK budget includes GBP330 million for anti-terrorism measures. (Per head, significantly higher than that proposed in the US by the Bush administration.)

Northern Ireland's Human Rights Commission has found that new plastic bullets are more dangerous than those they replaced two years ago are. During the Troubles in Northern Ireland, 17 people have been killed by rubber or plastic bullets. Following the new findings, alternate non-lethal measures will be introduced if possible.

6. Middle East

The region is roiled by conflicting feelings over the war in Iraq and related regional and international issues. There is appreciation for the demise of Saddam Hussein, humiliation at the ease of the victory, anger at the humanitarian consequences, and, most of all worry over the future.

Another recording of a message from Osama bin Laden has been released, calling for suicide attacks.

Egypt's President Mubarak faces criminal charges by antiwar activists over his crackdown against antiwar protests.

In the occupied Gaza Strip, a 3-day action by Israeli troops led to the arrest of Islamic Jihad leader Anwar Alian and 21 suspects and to the expulsion of between 1,000 and 2,000 Palestinian civilians. During air attacks directed against Hamas member Saad al-Arabeed, he and two other suspected militants and four civilians were killed and dozens more civilians injured. During protests against the air strikes troops shot dead a Hamas member near a rocket launcher, a policeman, and a 16-year-old boy. Later, Israeli helicopters firing on a car with suspected members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades killed the driver and wounded fifteen Palestinians, including women and children. At the end of the week, a British peace activist was shot in the head when trying to move two children to safety.

Israel has lowered its state of alert and told the citizens that gas masks and sealed rooms were no longer necessary. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon allowed Jewish settlers to move into a Palestinian district of Jerusalem, but in an interview with newspaper Haaretz at the end of the week conceded that concessions on settlements might be necessary to achieve peace. See Ari Shavit's report online at http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=283307&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y

Lebanese authorities have arrested five people in connection with planned attacks against a McDonald's restaurant and other western interests.

Syria has called for an end to the US occupation of Iraq and repeatedly denied persistent allegations by US administration officials that it is sheltering senior members of Iraq's defeated Ba'athist regime.

In the occupied West Bank, an explosion in a high school injured nearly 30 children. The Jewish group Revenge of the Infants claimed responsibility, though the authenticity of the claim was not verified. Three Palestinian gunmen killed two soldiers and wounded nine at an Israeli military base before they were killed in turn. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) claimed responsibility.

In Yemen, ten suspects, including Jamal al-Badawi, connected with the USS Cole bombing of October 2000 escaped from prison.

7. South Asia

Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai has said that security and stability are his priorities, including rebuilding the army and disarming warlords. This is a large challenge, given the extent of disorder around the country. Fighting between the Jamiat-i and Junbish factions left 13 dead and 17 injured. Another 20 suspected Taliban have been arrested. And in continuing US military operations, a misdirected bomb killed 11 civilians.

In Bangladesh, eight police officers have been convicted for extortion during the recent crime crackdown.

In the Indian state Andhra Pradesh, the Maoist rebel People's War Group freed three police held hostage. A hostage abducted by the separatist Kuki Liberation Army in Manipur state has also been released. Separatist rebels of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) attacked a wedding party, killing five and injuring eight supporters of the ruling party. In other attacks during the week NLFT rebels killed four more and kidnapped 9.

Indian troops killed Harkut-ul-Mujahedin rebel leader Fayaz Ahmad Khan in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Nepal's Maoist rebels have met with European Commission officials ahead of peace talks.

Pakistan had two more gas pipeline explosions, probably the result of sabotage by rival tribal members.

8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare

Privacy International has announced the winners of the Stupid Security Contest. It attracted more than 5,000 nominations from 35 countries. Winners included the Most Egregiously Stupid Award to the Australian government for "a litany of pointless, irritating and self-serving security measures", and others described at http://www.privacyinternational.org/activities/stupidsecurity/

The Internet Fraud Complaint Center annual Fraud Report showed that in 2002 there were more than 48,000 complaints, triple that of 2001, with dollar losses rising to $54 million from $17 million the year before. http://www1.ifccfbi.gov/strategy/wn030409.asp

Internet Security Systems quarterly Internet Risk Impact Summary report says that security attacks were up more than a third from the last quarter, an increase of 84 per cent from the same quarter the year before, primarily due to new worms and hybrid virus threats, particularly the Slammer attack. http://www.iss.net/issEn/delivery/prdetail.jsp?type=&oid=22158

Dan Farmer and Charles C. Mann write of "Surveillance Nation" (parts 1 and 2) in which "Low-priced surveillance technologies will help millions of consumers protect their property, plan their commutes, and monitor their families. But as these informal intelligence-gathering networks overlap and invade our privacy, that very security and convenience could evaporate." In Technology Review, April 2003 and May 2003 http://www.technologyreview.com

The April 2003 issue of Card Technology features a number of articles on using smart cards for passports and national identity. http://www.cardtechnology.com/ (Current articles not yet posted online.)

9. Finance

UK and US investigators have launched an international investigation to track down personal funds of Saddam Hussein.

The UN panel investigating arms embargo violations in Somalia has been extended for six months and may recommend measures to strengthen the sanctions.

10. Human Rights

Kenneth Anderson asks, "Who Owns the Rules of War?" in The New York Times Magazine, April 13.

Patrick Ball is interviewed in "Fear and grokking on the war crimes trail" in New Scientist, March 29

The Belgium war crimes law that granted international jurisdiction has been limited, but as Human Rights Watch points out, it still allows the case against Hissene Habre, former president of Chad. http://www.hrw.org Belgium can still offer a court of last resort, given the limitations of the scope of the International Criminal Court and pressure by the US for more bilateral agreements that would exempt it from the ICC.

11. Law and Legal Issues

Colonel Yuri Budanov is being tried again for the rape and murder of a Chechen woman, after his conviction of manslaughter on grounds of insanity was overturned.

Rade Bulatovic and Aco Tomic, former associates of Ex-Yugoslav President Kostunica, have been detained in connection with the inquiry into the Djindjic murder.

Dr. Thomas Butler has been arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on charges of smuggling bubonic plague bacteria.

Niall Connolly, Martin McCauley and James Monaghan are on trial in Colombia for allegedly sharing their Irish Republican Army (IRA) expertise with the Colombian rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The three men do not recognize the legitimacy of the court and have refused to attend. A defense witness has questioned the explosives evidence in the case. Videotapes submitted as an alibi for Monaghan will be tested.

Emilio Manglano and Javier Calderon, former Spanish intelligence officers, have been given 3-year jail terms for spying on the Basque separatist party Batasuna. They will appeal.

Mohammed Haneef, Mohammed Imran, Mohammed Ahsraf, Sharib Arsalan and Hafiz Zubair, members of the al-Alaami faction of Harakat ul-Mujahideen, are on trial in the car bomb attack of the US consulate in Karachi Pakistan last June. The prosecution has asked for the death penalty. The verdict will be delivered April 14.

Robert Hulme, Aiden Hulme and Noel Maguire of the Real IRA have been convicted of the London and Birmingham car bomb campaigns of 2001.

Dusan Jovanovic has been indicted in the war crimes tribunal in The Hague for revealing the name of a disguised witness.

Ifran Kamran and Sajjad Naseer of Denver, Colorado, have been released on allegations of terrorist planning although no charges had been brought against them. The federal judge dismissed FBI claims the two men were involved in terrorism or posed any threat.

Katrina Leung of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation has been arrested on espionage charges.

Zaracias Moussaoui, alleged "20th hijacker", will not be allowed to attend the appeal hearing that will determine if an al Qaeda detainee can be interviewed for his defense.

Mustafa ("Arbaz Khan", "Abdullah Umar") has been arrested in Kashmir on charges of planning the massacre of 24 Hindu villagers last month.

Samuel Hinga Norman, former member of the Kamajor militia that fought against rebels in Sierra Leone, has pleaded not guilty in the UN tribunal.

Naser Oric has been turned over to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia on allegations of war crimes. He is a Bosnian commander accused of crimes against Serbs.

Mohammad Faisal Pehlwan, member of Sipah-e-Sahaba, has been found guilty in Pakistan court of killing Maulana Saleem Qadri, leader of the rival militant Sunni Tehrik group and four other men in May 2001.

Osman Petmezci, charged with Astrid Eyzaguirre of planning to bomb a US military base in Germany, has pleaded not guilty and said the chemicals in his home were for firecrackers.

Zayd Hassan Safarini, Abu Nidal Organization member accused of hijacking Pan Am Flight 73 in 1986, was brought to the US for the deaths of two Americans killed in that incident after he had been imprisoned in Pakistan for 14 years. The US federal judge has ruled that the death penalty cannot be applied to the case because it cannot be applied retroactively to statutes inactive at the time of the event.

12. Narco-terrorism

13. Transportation

Canada and the US have reached an agreement to enhance security of international rail shipments that include principles for identifying, screening and examining shipments and for the use of advance manifest details and detection equipment.

The US Transportation Security Administration has begun testing smart cards for secure access to buildings and systems.

Eileen Colkin Cuneo features the Port of Houston in her article "Safe at Sea" in Information Week, April 7

14. Weapons of Mass Destruction

Rob Edwards writes of "A struggle for nuclear power: Iran and North Korea have fledgling nuclear programmes that could be harnessed to build a bomb. If they persist, it could spell the end for nuclear arms control." in New Scientist, March 27.

Police in Moscow have broken up a criminal gang that was refurbishing and selling World War II weapons.

Still awaiting the discovery of banned weapons in Iraq, the Wall Street Journal has published an excellent survey, "Vapor Trail: U.S. Has 2 Chemical-Arms Issues: Finding Them, Convincing the World" by Carla Anne Robbins, John J. Fialka and Dan Morse, April 8, 2003.

15. Recently Published

Paul Berman "Terror and Liberalism" Norton

Roane Carey and Jonathan Shainin, editors, "The Other Israel: Voices of Refusal and Dissent" new Press

Peter Hitchins "A Brief History of Crime: The Decline of Order, Justice and Liberty in England" Atlantic Books

Adam Jolly, editor, "The Secure Online Business: e-commerce, IT functionality and business continuity" Kogan Page

Melanie Phillips "The Ascent of Woman: A History of the Suffragette Movement" Little Brown

Elizabeth Rubin, "The Millimeter Revolution" (about Iran) The New York Times Magazine, April 6

Martin Schram "Avoiding Armadeddon" Basic

FEATURE ARTICLE: Northern Ireland: The Finucane Case

Talks between the Irish and British governments have continued, as pressure mounts to restore devolution in Northern Ireland and continue work towards peace based on the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. The power-sharing administration in Northern Ireland, one of the measures taken towards devolution, was suspended last October after allegations of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) gathering intelligence against the interests of the joint government. The IRA is now again blamed for delays in restoring devolution as they are charged with providing insufficient reassurances that the IRA would cease hostilities and continue disarming.

While waiting for a Good Friday announcement from Britain and Ireland, it seems a good opportunity to take a step back in time. Recent developments regarding the 1989 murder of Pat Finucane illustrate a number of the stumbling blocks that continue to plague the peace process.

Pat Finucane of Belfast, Northern Ireland, was born in 1949, the eldest of 8 children. Some members of his family, including three of his brothers, had links to Irish republicans. But Pat Finucane was a respected solicitor who represented loyalists and republicans alike. His most prominent cases were those of republicans like Bobby Sands, who died on hunger strike, as well as other hunger strikers in the IRA and the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) during the 1981 Maze prison protests. These cases led to a number of personal threats against him and it was clear his activities were unwelcome by the British authorities that habitually conflated his activities with those of his clients.

On the evening of Sunday, February 12, 1989, Pat Finucane, his wife Geraldine, and their three children were eating dinner. Suddenly two masked men broke down the front door with sledgehammers and burst in. They shot Finucane 14 times, many in the face, then escaped in a stolen taxi. During the attack, a ricochet injured his wife.

The Ulster Defence Association, a loyalist paramilitary group, claimed credit for the attack against one whom they said was a leading officer in the IRA.

The police investigation began, and dozens of UDA members and sympathizers were questioned. No charges were brought, but disturbing information began to emerge. There were suggestions that police had recommended Finucane as a target. On the night of the murder, the police roadblocks were lifted, allowing the killers uninterrupted travel. A number of remarks suggested that British officials considered Finucane a representative of the IRA. For example, Member of Parliament Ken Maginnis said, "it was an open secret that Pat Finucane was inextricably linked to the IRA and committed to its objectives".

The family and the Irish government reacted angrily to these accusations. The Irish Minister of State responded "To blur the lines between a solicitor and his clients is to wilfully misrepresent the indispensable role played by solicitors in law. It is a fundamental principle of law that the beliefs of clients should not be confused with the beliefs of those who represent them." (April 30, 1999 http://www.irelandemb.org/press/27.html)

Inquiries into the murder never found that Finucane was an active republican or involved in any terrorist attacks. But more and more evidence emerged of collusion between British military and intelligence agencies and loyalist paramilitaries. These relations include defining targets such as Finucane, financing, and providing weapons. One of the two guns used to kill Finucane was a Browning pistol stolen from the British army. Testimony from intelligence officers, including damaging admissions by Brian Nelson, as well as information from informers such as William Stobie, indicated that British officers helped identify assassination targets including photographs and addresses. This information was not kept confidential in order to minimize deaths, but instead was widely circulated to loyalist groups. And no warnings of threats were ever given to the targets. Another serious allegation links delivery of guns from South Africa into the hands of loyalist paramilitaries, then used in over 200 murders.

The informers and double agents involved have long since been murdered themselves. British intelligence agent Brian Nelson died last week of natural causes.

Over the last 14 years, requests for a public inquiry have been made by the family, the Irish government, the United Nations, and various human rights groups. Rather than a public inquiry, Sir John Stevens, the Metropolitan police commissioner began a private inquiry into the murder and the related allegations in 1999.

Preliminary findings indicate Finucane's murder was preventable and points to collusion of the army, police and loyalist paramilitaries in the killing, including a number of senior diplomats and intelligence officers. The findings may lead to criminal charges. His report is due to be published on April 17.

The ramifications of the final report will be interesting, but some of the effects are already in evidence. The Finucane murder illustrates some of the points that have consistently proved stumbling blocks to reaching peaceful solutions in the continuing conflicts in Northern Ireland. These include several crucial issues:
* Revelations regarding further irregularities of policing add fuel to a long-running issue. The Bloody Sunday inquiry, into an event that occurred in 1972, has still not reached definitive conclusions. Chances are good that the Stevens inquiry will not set to rest concerns and will instead lead to another lengthy public inquiry.
* Further revelations are unlikely to lay to rest allegations that senior members of the Thatcher administration were involved in these activities.
* The question of amnesty for republicans will no doubt be linked to any suggestion of amnesty for military or police operatives
* IRA disarmament concessions could be affected by evidence that arms were supplied to loyalists by the British government

But most of all, peace can only be achieved when there is a degree of trust among the parties. The serious nature of the emerging revelations regarding collusion between loyalist paramilitaries and British forces is unlikely to encourage greater confidence.

Further Reading:
Amnesty International Pat Finucane case http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/engEUR450072002!Open
Tony Garaghty, "The Irish War: The Hidden Conflict between the IRA and British Intelligence" Johns Hopkins University Press
Philip Johnston, "Secret Army unit aided loyalist assassins" http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2003%2F04%2F03%2Fnuls03.xml
Madden and Finucane law office http://www.madden-finucane.com/
Panorama report http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/2019301.stm
The Pat Finucane Centre http://www.serve.com/pfc/,http://www.iol.ie/~pfc/
Pat Finucane: A controversial killing http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/1677046.stm

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