The British government is resisting increased demands for an immediate inquiry into alleged collusion between loyalist paramilitaries and the security forces.
The Northern Secretary said yesterday he would act on the recommendation of the retired Canadian judge, Mr Peter Cory.
Mr Cory is weighing up the evidence in the case of murdered Belfast solicitor Mr Pat Finucane, as well as five other disputed murders, before outlining to the government what its next step should be.
Dr Reid said some method would have to be found to address the sense of grievance felt by families of paramilitary murder victims. Officials are understood to be devising ideas as to how such a requirement could be met.
Despite the increased calls for an inquiry into collusion following the second Panorama investigation into Mr Finucane's murder, the British government will stick to its wait-and-see line pending publication of the Stevens report and Mr Cory's recommendations.
Dr Reid said yesterday: "The first thing to do is establish the facts - that's what Sir John Stevens is trying to do. The second thing to decide is how then to react to those facts which is what Judge Cory is to do. We do treat the allegations seriously, we want to get at the truth and I understand the anguish of any family which finds itself in that position.
"Every family has to be given the opportunity to get at the truth, the truth is indivisible, the pain is indivisible. We will have to find a way of dealing with that truth and that pain and we will have to do it in a way that doesn't prevent us from building a new future."
Dr Reid was speaking following an emotional meeting in Belfast of some 150 family members of victims of loyalist paramilitaries, which added to the demands for an immediate investigation.
The conference, organised by Relatives For Justice which assists families affected by loyalist violence, was addressed by the bereaved in some of the most high-profile murder cases.
They included Mr Finucane's son, John, the widow of Mr Gerard Slane, Teresa, and relatives of 76- year-old Roseanne Mallon.
A document, "A brief history of collusion", was also released. It claims collusion was institutionalised as a policy objective by successive British governments.
The document also sets out the "chain of command" which it says runs between intelligence services on the ground, through levels of military command, to the Cabinet table. Claims that agents who acted illegally were renegade or "bad apples" are nonsense, the organisation says.
The DUP continues to dismiss claims about collusion. A party delegation led by the Rev Ian Paisley met Dr Reid at Hillsborough. Speaking afterwards, Dr Paisley asked: "Why is it that there has been no real public inquiry into the killing of those who are not Roman Catholic, who are not republicans? Why is this such a one-sided thing?"
The DUP said it argued that the IRA ceasefire should be declared bogus by Dr Reid.