Expert to find Disappeared funded

Police dug up Templetown beach in the search for Jean McConville

The two governments will fund a forensic expert to help locate the Disappeared, Irish Justice Minister Michael McDowell has said.

The remains of five people abducted, murdered and secretly buried by the IRA during the Troubles are still missing.

Anna McShane, whose father Charlie Armstrong disappeared in 1981, said the move brought some hope to the families.

However, she said republicans must still make more information available if the bodies are to be found.

"All we want is our humanitarian rights and that is to bury our dead," Mrs McShane said.

She said she believed talks held with US envoy Mitchell Reiss recently had got the "ball rolling" for progress on the issue.

Mrs McShane also said Sinn Fein could do more to help the families rather than paying "lip service" to them.

Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams said he had worked for some time to get more information available to the families.

Moors murders

Speaking at a peace conference in Navan on Monday, Mr McDowell said the British and Irish governments had told the Victims Commission resources would be found for the expert.

He also referred to a forensic archaeologist involved in the Moors murders case.

However, he did not name the scientist involved in the hunt for the remains of the victims of Ian Brady and Myra Hindley's 1960s killing spree near Manchester.

Sinn Fein had called on the governments to appoint such a scientist to help locate the remains of IRA victims which have not yet been found.

More than six years ago, the IRA said it had identified the graves of nine people murdered by the organisation.

Three victims were found in 1999 while one was uncovered in 2003. They were found in Counties Louth and Monaghan.

Michael McDowell announced funding of forensic archaeologist

During his address, Mr McDowell claimed senior members of Sinn Fein had direct responsibility for the death of many of the Disappeared.

He said some of these public figures had been on the IRA's 'army council' and named Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams in relation to the murder of Belfast woman Jean McConville, whose body was found in County Louth in 2003.

He said it was not good enough for members of Sinn Fein to put responsibility for the Disappeared onto the Irish government, and warned republicans that they must end violence, paramilitarism and all illegal activity for good.

He said there could be no ambiguity in the IRA statement and that the paramilitary grouping "had a date with history".