The British government has pledged to assist an inquiry into a loyalist bombing atrocity which killed 33 people in the Republic 26 years ago.
Relatives of those who died in the attacks in Dublin and Monaghan yesterday met the Northern Ireland Office Minister, Mr Adam Ingram, who said he would do everything to help with the investigation to bring those responsible to justice.
No one has ever been charged in connection with the car-bombings carried out by the Ulster Volunteer Force in Dublin city centre and Monaghan on May 17th, 1974. After the meeting the relatives' solicitor, Mr Greg O'Neill, of the Justice for the Forgotten committee, said the talks were "ground-breaking".
"Mr Ingram indicated that the British government will co-operate fully with Judge Hamilton's fact-finding assessment into events in Dublin and Monaghan and into why there was no successful prosecution of any person having been suspected of the bombing," he added.
Mr O'Neill said the Minister had been asked about the inquiry being given access to RUC and military intelligence files. "At no stage did Mr Ingram say that information would not be available," he confirmed.
Mr Ingram said he had heard "harrowing and moving" stories. "In terms of the current inquiry set up by the Irish Government under Justice Hamilton, the British government will treat any requests for assistance or information received from the inquiry sympathetically and in a positive spirit."
Mr Tim Grace, whose wife, Breda, was killed in Talbot Street in Dublin, said the families were hopeful now that the truth would be established. For many years the relatives had felt abandoned by their own government.