Canadian judge Peter Cory has presented the report of his inquiry into highly politicized and controversial murders in the Six Counties, that portion of the Irish province of Ulster still occupied and ruled by Britain despite three decades of turbulence that have tarnished Britain's image worldwide.

As a result of the Cory report, public inquiries will be held into circumstances surrounding the killing of three persons, Robert Hamill, a Catholic, who was kicked to death by a mob in 1997; Billy Wright, the loyalist leader, who was shot dead in the Maze prison in the same year; and solicitor Rosemary Nelson, who was blown up by a car bomb in 1999.

British authorities have decided to postpone a fourth public inquiry to include the assassination of human rights lawyer Pat Finucane. The Cory report implicates Special Branch, MI5 and British Army intelligence in the killing of Mr. Finucane in 1989.

MI5 is heavily involved in activities in Northern Ireland. It has been heavily criticized for not reacting to numerous threats made against Mr. Finucane, who was regarded as a thorn in the side of the security forces. MI5 worked closely with both army intelligence and Special Branch, raising questions about what it knew about the dangers posed to Mr. Finucane by extreme loyalists, some of whom were paid intelligence agents.

Judge Cory was given access to extensive material amassed by Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir John Stevens, who headed several inquiries into alleged intelligence collusion in the Finucane killing.

One man has been charged in the Finucane murder, and the British authorities have said a public inquiry should not be held pending the outcome of his trial.

Whether intelligence personnel will openly give evidence in the public inquiries has not been decided. Restrictions were placed on some evidence from intelligence personnel in the Bloody Sunday inquiry. Families of the victims hope truth will finally come out as a result of the inquiries.

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