State scraps amnesty plans for on-the-runs

THE Government last night moved to abandon plans to grant 'on-the-run' republicans presidential pardons after Britain did a dramatic U-turn over its own amnesty initiative.

Dublin stopped short of declaring its proposals dead, insisting they had been "suspended" in the wake of Northern Secretary Peter Hain's sudden climbdown.

Mr Hain was forced to scrap controversial plans to allow fugitive paramilitaries to come out of hiding under licence as the legislation faced almost certain defeat in the British parliament after provoking widespread anger across the North.