PEOPLE GUILTY of crimes linked to the Troubles will not be handed an automatic amnesty in any reconciliation process, the Eames-Bradley group - which is dealing with the legacy of violence - said yesterday.

Denis Bradley, who chairs the Consultative Group on the Past with Lord Eames, warned however that Northern Ireland society must face up to its history if it is to move on.

He said his group would publish its proposals on dealing with the legacy of the Troubles early in the new year, but he warned that everyone must help heal the wounds of what remained a sectarian society.