The Troubles: Victims optimistic agreement on agencies can be reached

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-35090655

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Victims of the Troubles have said they are more optimistic agreement can be reached on new agencies to examine the past.

The Victims' Forum held discussions with Secretary of State Theresa Villiers.

The recent inter-party talks did not bring an agreement on legacy issues.

Ms Villiers said that the government was prepared to consider "alternatives" when negotiating on the key issue of national security.

The government has been accused of failing to deliver on a commitment made in the Stormont House Agreement, by insisting on a veto on material to protect national security.

Speaking after the meeting, Ms Villiers said: "We put some compromises on the table in relation to national security, such as a direct right of appeal to the High Court. We feel that we stretched ourselves on that but we're obviously open to consideration of alternatives."

She also said that agreement on the matter was closer than ever before.

"There's a long list of other issues which have been more or less resolved, so I continue to be optimistic about the prospect of getting these bodies up and running sometime soon," she said.

The Victims' Forum described the meeting as "very positive".

Jennifer McNern, who lost both legs in the Abercorn bombing in 1972, said: "I'm more confident than I was a couple of weeks ago that the secretary of state will speak to politicians again, hopefully with new energy and a will to compromise."

Mitch Bresland, a former UDR member, said: "We took some reassurance from the fact that the secretary of state had plans, and she felt we could move forward."

On Sunday, Northern Ireland's victims' commissioner said new talks between the political parties to try and get agreement on dealing with outstanding legacy issues needed to start now.

Judith Thompson told the Sunday Politics programme there was a level of energy and common purpose that was not there before.

Last month, a deal, known as Fresh Start, was agreed between the British and Irish governments and Northern Ireland's two largest parties, the DUP and Sinn Féin.

It followed 10 weeks of talks and secured agreement on outstanding issues relating to paramilitaries and welfare reform.

However, they failed to break the deadlock over legacy issues arising from Northern Ireland's Troubles.