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Loyalist groups UDA and UVF disarming after decades of terror and 1000 deaths
Thursday, 18 June 2009
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Loyalist paramilitaries have begun to decommission their weapons, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal today.
According to senior loyalist sources the UVF has carried out a significant act of decommissioning while the UDA has either made a start to the process or is set to do so imminently.
And it is understood that other loyalist groups were well-advanced in preparation to hand over their weapons. The move – four years after the IRA announced it was giving up its armoury – comes ahead of Secretary of State Shaun Woodward’s August deadline for significant progress on loyalist arms.
A spokeman for Mr Woodward today told the Belfast Telegraph: “The Secretary of State cannot confirm or deny these reports. It is for General de Chastelain to report on these matters. But if these reports are accurate it has demonstrated that the Secretary of State’s policy of firmness with clarity and an understanding of how results could be achieved has worked.”
General John de Chastelain and colleagues from the Independent International Commission on Decommisioning (IICD) arrived in Belfast last week. One source said the General was in contact with loyalists yesterday, but there is no confirmation of this. A spokesman for the IICD was unavailable for comment.
It is understood that loyalist leaders have yet to tell rank-and- file members of the move.
“This has remained within a small exclusive group,” one loyalist told this newspaper.
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Comments
29 Comments
And Colin, are the views of one part of the indigenous community of the island so obnoxious and so difficult that it's easier to shoot than argue? Thick as jailhouse bacon indeed. At least you and James are honestly nailing your colours to the mast though.
Posted by Niall | 19.06.09, 12:37 GMT
Yes James, keep the weapons just in case there is a democratic constitutional crisis that they want to circumvent with their guns. Just in case they're needed. For that exceptional drug deal gone wrong. Keep them for that rainy day. Huh?
Posted by Niall | 19.06.09, 12:27 GMT
Its about time Special branch told there informants to hand over something!! The dogs on the street know the so called top loyalist leaders are in there pockets!! But can they handle the hardliners who will spinter off with guns they have already put aside
<
Posted by Aussie | 19.06.09, 12:25 GMT
James, what a moronic thing to say. What if the weapons are needed again? What? to murder innocent nationalists/catholics? When did the loyalist paramilitaries ever use their guns other than to kill innocents or use them as muscle to peddle their drugs, or kill innocent protestants? Are you actually trying to justify that these groups need these weapons in case they need to kill more innocent civilians. Total idiocy. You are a disgrace.
Posted by In The Name of The Fada | 19.06.09, 12:12 GMT
Have Loyalists gone mad? Keep the weapons just don't use them. Everyone hopes that there is no return to volence, but what happens if weapons are needed again? Republicans have more financial support from arround the world to buy new weapons than Lolaliosts do.
Posted by James | 19.06.09, 03:12 GMT
villages through out the 6 counties are still being intimidated by loyalists who put up those flags on lamp posts every where, the sight of any flag whether loyalist or republican should not be allowed as it causes division, intimidation etc etc.
Posted by sean | 18.06.09, 21:32 GMT
De-commissioning or not is truly irrelevant. Fact is as long as the Sinn Fein keep pushing for 'one nation' there is going to be a resistance of some sorts. Two nations can live on one island. Hispanola (Haiti/Dominican Republic) is one example. The Tamils are pushing for such a motion with Sri Lanka and technically St. Maarten (Dutch) and St. Martin (French) are also two nations on one island.
Posted by colin | 18.06.09, 19:58 GMT
The Loyalists, The UDA, the UVF have no political philosophy other than raw hatred of Catholics and are profoundly racist. They cannot string two sentences together, and offer nothing to the Protestant areas. I am underwhelmed by all this.
Posted by Patrick Murphy | 18.06.09, 19:50 GMT
wonder if they got as much money in grants and jobs for the boys / community representatives !, as the provos got ?
Posted by sad but true | 18.06.09, 19:48 GMT
Fada, have you ever posted on the subject matter at hand rather than my (and no one else's!) passing comments?
Move over mark, there's a new object for my affections!!
Posted by mi-ck-ey | 18.06.09, 19:31 GMT
they'll maybe also hand in the drugs that theyre poisoning our children with.
Posted by david | 18.06.09, 19:10 GMT
some of the comments ive read from either side and bearing in mind im a shankill road man or was are pathetic with so little intelligence applied to thinking beforehand its no wonder the trouble has carried on so long but heres to all the sensible people who regognize ongoing trouble helps no one
Posted by william | 18.06.09, 18:25 GMT
Now this IS news. Good news! Obama's fly and China's dogs pale by comparison.
Posted by TH | 18.06.09, 17:13 GMT
For the usual few being deliberately obnoxious... i.e. m-i-c-k-e-y and yobbo, Mickey’s barely literate younger brother and bosom pal of Harry Potter the boy wizard.
What Liam is trying to say is will Unionists accept loyalists at their word or will they demand proof in order to try and humiliate them like they did when the old IRA decommissioned?
Surely by now we all accept that doing so was a counter productive mistake which played into the hands of dissident Republicans.
Posted by Bren | 18.06.09, 16:51 GMT
Them days are over, no decent people want a return to those days. Posted by Éamonn
Eamonn, it would be wonderful if you were right however the TUV party and their supporters want to return to the 'old' ways.
Posted by Fred | 18.06.09, 16:13 GMT
William, they have to decommission but they'll also need people to vote for them! As very few of them can string two words together that may be difficult, "do you know what I mean like wee lad?"
Stephen
Posted by Stephen | 18.06.09, 15:58 GMT
Mickey, seriously man, do you never tire of making a complete idiot of yourself? As the old folks would say, "there's a want in that boy". Pitiful.
Posted by In The Name Of The Fada | 18.06.09, 15:39 GMT
Liam, I don't know where you've been all these years but what was the solid proof of IRA decommissioning? I've yet to see it, so there is, this far, as much evidence of UVF arms withdrawal.
In both cases we've little evidence except that of government propaganda and I'm not naive enough to believe in that!
Posted by robbo | 18.06.09, 15:36 GMT
Liam you can't be serious. Photograph's and solid proof ? I don't remember seeing that. It was all shrouded in secrecy back then too.
Posted by janjam | 18.06.09, 15:26 GMT
it would be nice to say we've moved away from those petty days liam... but unfortunately i don't think we're quite there yet. also, i wouldn't trust them enough to take their word, would you?
Posted by Catherine | 18.06.09, 15:14 GMT
29 Comments