Missing victim of the IRA is buried

THE FUNERAL yesterday of a Catholic man murdered by the IRA 24 years ago provided a grim backdrop for the renewed search for a lasting peace settlement for Northern Ireland.

Eamon Molloy, the first of the "disappeared" to be buried, was killed for allegedly passing information to the police. The location of his body was identified by the IRA as part of the moves towards peace.

The Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and the Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble are to visit Downing Street today for more talks with Tony Blair, in a fresh attempt to break the impasse in the peace process. The former US senator, George Mitchell, who negotiated the Good Friday Agreement returned to Belfast of Tuesday to reprise his role as "honest broker". Yesterday Mr Mitchell found the opposing sides deeply entrenched when he held meetings with them in Belfast to discuss plans to hold a review in the autumn of the agreement's implementation.

The Sinn Fein vice president, Pat Doherty said Republicans were growing sceptical about Unionist intentions towards the agreement and warned that the review must not be used to force further delays.

Accusing Mr Trimble and his UUP colleagues of being "in default of the agreement", Mr Doherty said: "We remain entirely sceptical about their intention to ever implement the agreement and bring about a devolution of power."

Peter Robinson, the deputy leader of Ian Paisley's anti-agreement DUP said they were not satisfied with the appointment of Mr Mitchell as the review chairman.

t The tribunal team heading the new inquiry into Bloody Sunday yesterday admitted that a key document which named soldiers involved was released by mistake to solicitors representing victims' families. Gerald Howarth, the Tory MP for Aldershot - whose constituency is home to the head quarters of the Parachute Regiment - said that the inquiry had no credibility left.