February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
The response from all political parties has been one of guarded skepticism as the UDA has been involved in murders, attacks, beatings and drug dealing over the last 12 months of its supposed ceasefire.
In a statement issued through its affiliate the Ulster Political Research Group, the UDA said that in order to pursue its political objectives it had “agreed to the indefinite extension of its military inactivity.”
The UDA also said it would maintain contact with General John de Chastelain`s international disarmament body. The announcement followed weeks of behind-scenes talks involving its representatives, the taoiseach and Northern Secretary Paul Murphy.
Those discussions focused on the treatment of loyalist prisoners and the need for working-class Protestant communities to receive economic regeneration.
The UDA, which is divided up into a set of geographically separate units, is run on personal loyalty to six so-called “brigadiers” some of whom are more interesting in making money from drug dealing than sectarian violence.
Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness said if the statement marked an end to UDA sectarian attacks then it was welcome. “Ultimately people will judge the UDA by their actions in the time ahead”, he said.
“Any process of conflict resolution requires collective responsibility and dialogue. Much work has been done by prominent Irish citizens in recent times with representatives of the UDA and I commend those involved,” he added.
“This statement will be welcome provided that it is truly honored in practice,” SDLP leader Mark Durkan said. “Too often, however, such statements have not led to the end of attacks and intimidation on the ground.
“Because of hard experience, nationalists will retain some skepticism. While an end to sectarian and racist attacks is important, it is not enough. The SDLP wants to see an end to all paramilitary activity – loyalist and republican.”
“That includes an end to racketeering and criminality by all loyalist paramilitary groups. Nor is it enough for loyalists to suggest that they will wait until after republicans end their paramilitary activity,” he said.
“The standard demanded of loyalist paramilitaries must be no less than the standard demanded of republican paramilitaries. The SDLP does not accept that republican paramilitary activity is an excuse or justification for loyalist wrongdoing or vice versa”.
For the UUP, its Strangford assembly man, David McNarry, who has been involved with the Loyalist Commission and talking to the UPRG for some time, said “The change to an indefinite ceasefire is to be welcomed as are the comments made that the UDA will be looking for final closure.
“This is a positive statement from a paramilitary organization whose ceasefire credentials have been consistently under question. They must live up to this statement and prove to society that they will put violence behind them.”
Meanwhile, more than