Tony Blair was fully justified in pointing out yesterday (Wednesday) that the issue of 'on the run' (OTR) paramilitary figures needs to be resolved.
However, the prime minister must also be well aware that the legislation which was supposed to deal with the matter is dead in the water.
Mr Blair may even appreciate the irony that, at long last, he has succeeded in uniting the main Northern Ireland political parties.
After a swift piece of repositioning by Sinn Féin, they all now agree that the British government's approach to the OTR issue is completely wrong.
There is little point in Mr Blair persisting with a proposal which, for a range of often conflicting reasons, has been so comprehensively rejected.
Introducing any form of truth commission would also be fraught with difficulty but the authorities are running out of other options.
While a truth commission could follow a number of different models, it must be capable of providing closure for grieving families on all sides.
If this aim can be achieved, the OTR debate will finally draw to an end.
