The government has confirmed the appointment of a retired Canadian judge to examine six controversial murder cases in Northern Ireland involving allegations of collusion.

The identity of the judge, Peter Cory, was first revealed by the BBC last month.

The six controversial cases which will be examined by Judge Cory include the murders of the lawyers Pat Finucane and Rosemary Nelson and the murder of the loyalist paramilitary leader Billy Wright inside the Maze jail.

In each case the judge will be asked to examine allegations of collusion between the security forces and the killers and to decide whether those claims merit a full judicial inquiry.

I am to review all the papers in each case including the records of earlier investigations

Judge Peter Cory

The British and Irish Governments agreed to appoint a senior judicial figure during last year's Weston Park negotiations.

Since then officials have been examining potential candidates in a number of countries before settling on Judge Cory who stepped down from Canada's supreme court three years ago.

Judge Cory said he hoped to complete his report as quickly as possible.

"I am to review all the papers in each case including the records of earlier investigations," he said.

"I am also to interview anyone I think can assist the examination and report as quick as possible with any recommendations, particularly if I consider it appropriate the holding of a public inquiry."

Justice Peter deCarteret Cory: Asked to carry out examinations

Welcoming the appointment, Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid hailed Judge Cory as "an eminent and highly experienced lawyer and judge".

"For our part, the government is committed to co-operating fully with the investigation and to ensuring that Mr Justice Cory has the support and resources he needs to carry it out."

Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen said the appointment was an "important step" in the quest for truth and justice for relatives of those killed in the controversial cases.

"Mr Justice Cory brings considerable experience and skill to the task and he has the full support of both governments in carrying it out," Mr Cowen insisted.

Commitment

SDLP leader Mark Durkan also welcomed the appointment as "the only way forward to ensure confidence in the administration of justice and the rule of law".

The deputy first minister added: "The SDLP is pleased to see that if Judge Cory concludes that a public inquiry is necessary in any of these cases and others, then the two governments will ensure that there is one.

"The governments must honour this commitment in full. They must not give succour or cover to those who would obstruct such inquiries as we have seen with Bloody Sunday."

Pat Finucane: Allegations of collusion surround murder

Whilst the relatives of some of the murder victims may welcome the fact that an appointment has been made, others have already expressed concern that the international judge's probe only serves to delay the setting up of full judicial inquiries.

Mr Finucane, a high-profile Catholic solicitor, was shot dead by the loyalist paramilitary Ulster Defence Association in front of his family at his Belfast home in 1989.

Rosemary Nelson, a mother of three, died in a booby-trap car bomb attack at her home in Lurgan, County Armagh in 1999.

The Loyalist Volunteer Force was linked to the murder, but denied this.

She had reported shortly before her death that she had received threats from police officers.

The judge will also be asked to examine the case of the murder of the Loyalist Volunteer Force leader Billy Wright inside Northern Ireland's high-security Maze prison by the republican paramilitary Irish National Liberation Army in 1997.