The Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, has welcomed the IRA's attempts to locate the graves of the "disappeared" as "boding well for this week's discussions". In a statement, Dr Mowlam said: "The families of such victims have endured great suffering, in some cases over long periods. If the remains of their loved ones can be located, funerals can take place, and a period of uncertainty thankfully brought to an end."
Dr Mowlam said that the British government would be willing to consider changing the law to ensure that any evidence which emerged in locating the remains would not be used in subsequent criminal proceedings. "I understand that that is the position of the Irish Government also", she added.
Mr Denis Haughey, the SDLP Assembly member for Mid-Ulster, said that while he welcomed the fact that relatives could lay their loved ones to rest, too many unanswered questions remained about other "disappeared" people. "The IRA has an obligation to them, and to the whole of society, to continue investigations until all of the families of the disappeared can have full information about the fate of their loved ones.
"No self-appointed group of armed men have the right to murder anyone and then call it an `execution'. It is very regrettable that the IRA statement contains no apology for the murder, only the length of time it has taken them to admit to it and hand over the body", Mr Haughey said.
Ms Eileen Bell, an Alliance Assembly member, welcomed the IRA statement, but said it was "regrettable" that the IRA could not simply inform families of their loved ones' graves without besmirching their reputation. "This was still summary justice by them, without any justification, and I now hope that they will give the families the exact locations of the graves without further delay or hardship."
The British-Irish New Dialogue peace group, chaired by three MPs - Mr Harry Barnes, Mr Peter Bottomley and Mr Simon Hughes - and by Lord Hylton, described the IRA move as "a cynical and manipulative manoeuvre rather than a magnanimous gesture".
Among the families, reactions were mixed. Mr Seamus McKendry, a spokesman for the Families of the Disappeared, said that he had been angered that his mother-in-law, Mrs Jean McConville, had been accused of admitting acting as an IRA informer.
Mrs McConville's daughter, Ms Helen McKendry, said she was glad she could give her mother a proper burial and begin the grieving process after 27 years: "What happened to my mother was wrong."
The mother of Mr Brian McKinney, who was 22 when he was abducted with Mr John McClory in 1978, said she felt no bitterness.