02/11/2004

UDA leadership to meet Secretary of State

Some of Northern Ireland’s most notorious terrorists were set to meet the Secretary of State today to discuss the ongoing peace process.

The loyalist delegation, which will include Ulster Defence Association (UDA) leaders Andre Shoukri, Jackie McDonald and Billy McFarlane, as well as representatives from the Ulster Political Research Group, were due to meet Paul Murphy at Stormont on Tuesday.

Yesterday, Mr Murphy met a delegation from the Progressive Unionist Party, which has links to the paramilitary group, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).

Commenting on Tuesday’s meeting, north Belfast SDLP MLA Alban Maginness said Mr Murphy must carry a “clear and unambiguous” statement to the representatives of loyalism.

"They need to be told that they must bring their campaigns of terror and intimidation against Catholics and ethnic minorities to a complete end,” Mr Maginness said.

"They must also completely stop poisoning their own communities with drugs and it is imperative that they fully, finally and completely decommission all their weaponry."

Last week the Independent Monitoring Commission handed over its latest report on continuing republican and loyalist paramilitary activity to the British and Irish governments.

The UDA is currently one of those groups whose ceasefires are not recognised by the government because of what it perceives as ongoing paramilitary activity by that organisation.

(MB/GMCG)

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