Blair still considering issue of IRA fugitives

The British prime minister, Tony Blair, has said his government is still considering how to deal with the issue of fugitive IRA members.

There have been claims that the British government is planning an amnesty for fugitives "on the run". The Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble said in London today that an amnesty would be the ``last straw`` for many supporters of the Good Friday Agreement.

He said many unionists would see it as the British government ``going back on its word and breaking faith with the people``.

Mr. Blair's official spokesman said the question of how to deal with the issue was a difficult one, though he acknowledged it was an anomaly that had to be resolved.

He said it was an issue that London was still thinking its way through the problem. Nobody underestimates the difficulties, he said, but people only had to look at the Middle East to see the price to be paid for losing momentum.

Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Quentin Davies said that there was very little doubt that the British government was going to commit what he called "the folly of announcing an amnesty for on-the-run terrorists".