Unionist Terrorist Groups in the North follow the IRA's Example and put Weapons "beyond Use"

The leadership of the so-called 'Ulster Volunteer Force' (UVF) and the 'Red Hand Commando' (which is a nome-de-guerre for elements of the same organisation) have today confirmed that they have completed the process of "putting all their weaponry irreversibly beyond use".

The official announcement was made at a press conference in Belfast this morning, held by Billy Hutchinson (right), a former UVF activist who has spent time in prison for his involvement in terrorism, but who renounced violence many years ago and is now a supporter of the peace process in the North of Ireland.

The UVF declared that its weapons were "put beyond use" in conjunction with the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD), and in the presence of independent international witnesses.

"We have done so to further augment the establishment of accountable democratic governance in this region of the UK, to remove the pretext that loyalist weaponry is an obstacle to the development of our communities and to compound our legacy of integrity to the peace process," a spokesman of the terror group said.

The IICD, an international group of military experts and political observers which is chaired by the retired Canadian General John de Chastelain (left), confirmed the decommissioning of UVF (and 'Red Hand Commando') weapons.

In another part of Belfast the so-called 'Ulster Defence Association' (UDA), an even larger Unionist terror organisation, released a separate statement, confirming that it has now "decommissioned a portion of its arsenal" and has started a process that would lead to the destruction of all its arms.

With these announcements the Unionist (and Protestant) terror groups in the North are at last following the positive example of the Nationalist 'Provisional Irish Republican Army' (PIRA, but commonly often just called the IRA), which had already decommissioned all its weapons in several stages between 2002 and 2005.
This process was also witnessed and confirmed by General de Chastelain and other members of the IICD.

Politicians from all parties - in the North, in the Republic and in Britain - have welcomed today's announcement in a number of individual statements.

Making one of her quite rare political comments, Mary McAleese (right) - the President of the Republic of Ireland, who comes from the North herself - also welcomed the long-awaited development, which is one of the last steps in the peace process that began in 1998 with the Good Friday Agreement.

Speaking in Dublin, the President said: "This is a very important step in building and consolidating peace in Northern Ireland. It signals a turning away from a culture of conflict towards a culture of good neighbourliness, within the North and on the entire island of Ireland."

Are the Unionist Terror Groups in the North now ready to decommission their Weapons?

The Taoiseach has welcomed unconfirmed reports that Unionist terror organisations in the North have begun to decommission their weapons.

Speaking to RTÉ News, Brian Cowen (above right) stressed the need to wait for an official report from the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD), which oversees the process of putting terrorist weapons 'beyond use'.

The North's First Minister Peter Robinson (left) said that his party [the DUP] would "certainly welcome any move by the organisations to decommission their weapons and cease from their paramilitary activity".
"The DUP will continue to engage with these organisations in order to impress upon them the need to leave violence and criminality behind and to complete the decommissioning process," he added.

So far unconfirmed reports from the North suggest that the chairman of the IICD, the retired Canadian General John de Chastelain, has "witnessed decommissioning acts by two Unionist terror groups", the 'Ulster Volunteer Force' (UVF) and the 'Ulster Defence Association' (UDA). Those groups were responsible for the killing of about 1000 people - most of them Catholics and Nationalists - during the 'Troubles' in the North since 1969.

Making these pro-British terrorists, who had plenty of unofficial support from the British Army and the Northern security forces in the past, to give up their weapons has been one of the most serious and significant challenges of the still evolving peace process in the North of Ireland.

These groups of thugs and fanatics are not significant political players, and this factor has made persuading them to renounce violence all the more difficult.

However, for the best part of two years considerable efforts have been made behind the scenes to cajole and pressurise the Unionist terror groups to decommission.

General John de Chastelain (right), who oversaw the long decommissioning process of the PIRA (or IRA) weapons between 2002 and 2005, was in Belfast last month.
During that time the two main Unionist terror organisations - the UVF and the UDA - have apparently put weapons "beyond use".

According to the report, they have not yet decommissioned all their weapons, but are expected to continue with the process.

Sir Hugh Orde (left), Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), hailed the possibility of Unionist decommissioning as "very good news".
"More guns are off the streets as a result of the decision by both the UDA, as I understand it, and the UVF."

The decision to decommission finally had "not come as a surprise", Orde stated. New legislation that [Britain's] Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward introduced earlier this year was giving the Unionists until August to decommission their weapons.

"I think the legislation put an additional pressure on these groups, and they have to make a decision," the PSNI Chief added.

Let us hope that the leaked - and as yet unconfirmed - news are true and will soon be verified by the IICD.

The North of Ireland has seen more than enough violence since 1969, and as the PIRA/IRA decommissioned its weapons already years ago, the Unionist terror groups - although officially on 'cease fire' - are the last obstacles on the path to a normal and civilised political system in the Six Counties.

The Emerald Islander