THE Irish and British governments are set to oversee multi-party talks which will deal with legacy issues.
Details of the plan were revealed by Secretary of State Brandon Lewis and Irish minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney yesterday.
Earlier this year it emerged that the British government is planning to bring forward fresh legacy legislation, which some suspect may include an amnesty for British soldiers who served in the north.
The 2014 Stormont House Agreement included mechanisms for how to deal with the past but these have yet to be implemented.
Mr Lewis said yesterday that the "aim of these talks is to establish an agreed collective way forward on Northern Ireland legacy issues in light of the concerns raised" and that "working groups will be convened".
Mr Coveney said on Twitter that he and Mr Lewis have written to local political parties.
"Collective approach, with victims voices at its heart, is the only way forward," he wrote.
Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill last night said: "Instead of the British government looking for new ways to continue to deny access to truth to grieving families they should be implementing what they have already agreed to at Stormont House in a human rights compliant manner."
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said "any talks on addressing the legacy of our past must be based on maximising opportunities for truth and disclosure to those who have lost so much".
Mark Thompson from Relatives for Justice said the rights of victims "cannot be negotiated or bargained away," he said.
