Cowen praises UDA move on weapons

Brian Cowen has welcomed the Ulster Defence Association’s statement confirming it had decommissioned its weapons arsenal, describing it as a “significant milestone in the peace process”.

“Taken together with the completion of decommissioning by the IRA and the UVF, it is a clear signal that Northern Ireland has moved on and that the democratic institutions established by the Good Friday Agreement are the means through which the entire community in Northern Ireland, and the people of these islands, can and will build lasting peace and prosperity,” the Taoiseach said.

The UDA’s statement today completes a process of decommissioning by the main loyalist paramilitary organisations which began last June when the smaller Ulster Volunteer Forces and Red Hand Commando (RHC) groups put their guns beyond use.

President Mary McAleese described the move as a "further testimony to the reality that we are witnessing the deconstruction of a culture of paramilitarism in Northern Ireland and that it is being replaced by a culture of consensus, democracy and good neighbourliness."

Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin also welcomed the UDA's move, saying the move meant “another obstacle to dialogue and partnership” had been removed.

Expressing the Government’s appreciation to the loyalist leadership, Mr Martin said: “This is an important day for the people of Northern Ireland. This is a statement of confidence in the political process and in the devolved institutions, one which moves us closer to that genuinely shared future for which so many have worked over decades,” he said.

Mr Martin paid tribute to those who had encouraged the process, “particularly the outreach and confidence building work of Dr Martin McAleese”.

Catholic primate Cardinal Sean Brady commended those who took risks to bring about what he described as “this vital step”.

“Our once divided and violent society has come a long way in recent years. I hope today’s news will spur us all on to work together to address the social and economic needs of our society, especially of those communities most disadvantaged by years of violence,” he said.

“My first thoughts, however, are for those for whom the news of UDA decommissioning will evoke painful memories and raise many unanswered questions about the violence of the past. They are uppermost in my prayers today,” he said.

Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward said the move was a vindication of British government policy.

“This is a major act of leadership by the UDA and further comprehensive evidence of the success of politics over violence in Northern Ireland,” he said. “The road to decommissioning has not been easy. It has required people to keep faith with demanding and exacting policy, supported by clear principles built on a total rejection of violence,” he said.

Labour leader Eamon Gilmore also welcomed the announcement by the UDA. "This is a significant development given that the UDA was responsible for some of the worst atrocities in Northern Ireland during the worst periods of the troubles," he said in a statement.

"Hopefully, as the UDA was the last of the major paramilitary organisations not to have decommissioned, this is now one of the final pieces in the jigsaw required to ensure permanent and lasting peace for the people of Northern Ireland."

Mr Gilmore said everyone in Ireland "owes a major debt of gratitude" to General John De Chastelain and his colleagues on the International Commission on Decommissioning.

Sinn Féin Assembly member Gerry Kelly described the move as a substantial move forward.

“The nationalist and unionist populations will both be relieved that a substantial amount of guns are being taken off our streets and nationalist communities in particular would rest much easier as a result of that," he said.

“There can be no place for guns as we move forward in advancing the political process, this process has been about taking the gun out of Irish politics."

DUP Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson also said his party welcomed the news.

“The party has been working for a considerable time to remove all illegal weapons from the streets of Northern Ireland and to deliver universal support for policing and the rule of law," he added. "People will now be looking for clear evidence of a complete and total commitment to the peaceful and democratic path by all those previously involved with paramilitary groups."

Fine Gael foreign affairs spokesman Billy Timmins said the weapons move was “one more step” in the effort to ensuring lasting peace. “While this announcement is to be welcomed, is important that efforts are redoubled now and into the future to ensure devolution of policing and security in Northern Ireland,” he said.

President of the Methodist Church in Ireland, the Reverend Donald Ker, said he hoped the move would open the way “for the pressing needs of loyalist communities to be more fully addressed”.

“Such needs are best met when all those involved in local community life are able to come together in partnership with the welfare of all in their locality as their chief motivation. While the removal of weapons reduces the threat of armed violence we must recognise that the ongoing divisions in our society damage us all. Northern Ireland needs more people, at every level, who are prepared to build bridges of understanding and trust,” he said.