The North's Policing Board, after holding "tense and difficult" discussions with Omagh relatives yesterday, will meet in Belfast next Thursday to consider whether to press ahead with its plan for an external review of the PSNI investigation of the Omagh bombing of 1998.
Ten of the board's 19 members, including chairman Prof Sir Desmond Rea and vice-chairman Barry Gilligan, travelled to Omagh for the private meeting with the Omagh families yesterday to discuss the fallout from the recent collapse of the case against Seán Hoey.
Michael Gallagher, chief spokesman for the families, made it clear the families favoured a cross-Border independent public inquiry into the bombing, which claimed the lives of 29 people and unborn twin girls.
"We have had several investigations both North and South and they haven't moved one step forward since August 15th ," said Mr Gallagher.
Sources said that the meeting, which lasted two-and-a-half hours, was emotional and acrimonious at times. There was also criticism of the fact that not all of the board's members attended the meeting.
Of the 10 who did travel to Omagh just three were politicians - Assembly members Tom Buchanan of the DUP, Daithí McKay of Sinn Féin and Dolores Kelly of the SDLP - the remainder were independent members. There are 10 politicians and nine independent members on the board.
The families maintained their fierce criticism of the fact that no one yet has been convicted of the bombing, the worst single atrocity of the Troubles. They also reiterated their anger at the flawed police investigation of the bombing.
Mr Justice Weir was also scathing of elements of the police investigation when acquitting Seán Hoey of involvement in the bombing.
The board is considering carrying out an external investigation into how the PSNI handled the second investigation of the bombing, which effectively began in 2002.
On Thursday the board is due to consider whether to proceed with the external inquiry. Mr Gallagher and other families' members told Sir Desmond Rea and other board members that they felt there was little point in such an inquiry.
Mr Gallagher said after the meeting that the families put it "quite vigorously" to the board that what was required was "one final public inquiry".
Sir Desmond Rea said that such an inquiry would be a matter for the British and Irish governments. When pressed by Mr Gallagher for his personal view, Sir Desmond said: "My view on public inquiries is pretty well known. I would not be an advocate of public inquiries."
