The SDLP has demanded to know how much former British prime ministers, Northern secretaries and RUC chief constables knew about ecurity force collusion in the murder of nationalists.
Sinn Féin has said only a full international judicial inquiry will get to the heart of the collusion issue. "This is not about rogue elements within the British system, it is about a state policy sanctioned at the highest level," said Assembly member Mr Alex Maskey.
"Sinn Féin supports the families of those killed in their demand for a full international judicial inquiry. Nothing less will get to the heart of British military policy in Ireland. This is not about individual cases or prosecutions, it is about a state policy of killing its citizens."
SDLP leader Mr Mark Durkan said nationalists would be "shocked but not surprised" by the Stevens report. "The revelation that nationalists were 'known to be targeted but not properly warned or protected' and that the two communities were not treated equally shows how rotten things were.
"Nationalists have an equal right to life. None of the security forces vindicated it. Not the police. Not MI5. And above all, not British army Intelligence and its Force Research Unit. This represents a betrayal of the nationalist community by the state."
Mr Durkan said the belief of nationalists that "systematic collusion" took place between the security forces and loyalist paramilitaries had now been proven. "Unionists and those in the British establishment can no longer deny the undeniable.
Mr Durkan said the Stevens report left many questions unanswered. "It does not say how high the collusion went. Or how far. Or how many were murdered.
"What did our supposed great and good know about this? What did Ronnie Flanagan know? What did Hugh Annesley know? What did Tom King know? What did Margaret Thatcher know? What did they know when nationalists were being murdered with state collusion?"
Only a full judicial public inquiry would answer all the necessary questions, Mr Durkan said. SDLP members on the Policing Board would ensure the implementation of all the Stevens recommendations. It was clear British army Intelligence spearheaded the collusion and they must be withdrawn from all activity in the North now.
A British army spokesman welcomed the Stevens report and said the military would examine it carefully.
The Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Mr Hugh Orde, said his force was very different to the one described in the Stevens report. He said he was determined to ensure there was no collusion between police and loyalist paramilitaries. He added that there were real concerns about the RUC's conduct in the late 1980s.
The Northern Secretary, Mr Paul Murphy, said the Stevens report raised "very disturbing issues"."Material has been submitted to the DPP and it is important the criminal justice process takes its course," he said.
Mr Ian Paisley jnr of the DUP said they were "concerned this report will be used by certain elements to bludgeon and blacken the name of the police and to justify over 300 police killings".
Mr Finucane's widow, Geraldine, said a public inquiry was the only way forward. Her call was supported by Amnesty International, the Belfast-based Committee on the Administration of Justice, and British-Irish Watch.