The announcement of a judicial inquiry into the events of Bloody Sunday was widely welcomed in the North, but unionist politicians remained unconvinced of the need for a new investigation.
The security spokesman of the Ulster Unionist Party, Mr Ken Maginnis, said he "took exception" to the suggestion by the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, that the killings on Bloody Sunday were different from other deaths in the North.
Mr Maginnis said other deaths had been put aside and were "not as important as something that is promoted by the Irish government". This, he added, would cause resentment among unionists. He also questioned if new evidence which had been presented to Mr Blair was reliable.
Mr Sammy Wilson, of the Democratic Unionist Party, said all that would be achieved would be "a massive propaganda exercise, which will be milked to the last drop by the IRA".
Sinn Fein chairman and Derry city councillor, Mr Mitchell McLaughlin, welcomed the inquiry and said he wanted to be "as constructive as possible", but added: "I think that people will be anxious to see just how the remit of the tribunal is applied."
Mr McLaughlin said it had to be remembered that the new inquiry would have "broadly similar powers" as the Widgery Inquiry. "I think the fact that Tony Blair has now effectively set aside Widgery as a fraudulent inquiry is a significant step for the prime minister to take," Mr McLaughlin added. He said the role of the then Stormont government should be examined.
Mr Alex Attwood of the SDLP said it was significant that Mr Tony Blair had said that Bloody Sunday was different from other tragedies that had occurred during the troubles.
"That was a very important recognition by the prime minister, and secondly, he said that the truth must be told, and that the new evidence was compelling," he said.
Mr Attwood said that if this was "the spirit and the substance that will inform the new tribunal of inquiry", the truth of Bloody Sunday might soon be established and told.
The leader of the Alliance Party, Lord Alderdice, welcomed the announcement of the inquiry, and said the events of Bloody Sunday had become "a wound of very particular meaning". He said the inquiry would give an opportunity for the truth to become clear "and for us to move on to resolving our problems in this area as in so many others".
Lord Alderdice said some would seek to distort the matter for political ends, and said he was glad "that this had not prevented the government from doing the right thing". The decision would be welcomed by anyone who wanted affairs to be governed by what is right and true, he added.
The pressure group, Families Against Intimidation and Terror, welcomed the inquiry, saying it would provide the opportunity "to discover the truth about that dreadful day which has been such a terrible tragedy for the people of Derry".