Mr David Trimble, two of his Ulster Unionist Party colleagues and members of the Loyalist Commission have had a joint meeting with the North's security minister, Ms Jane Kennedy, to discuss the unrest in north Belfast.
The Loyalist Commission is composed of the loyalist paramilitary UDA, UVF and Red Hand Commando leaderships, and local church and community representatives. Members of the Ulster Unionist Party were involved in setting up the group recently, with a view to persuading the loyalist paramilitaries to abandon violence.
Yesterday's delegation, which a Northern Ireland Office source said did not contain any members of paramilitary organisations, discussed the situation in Glenbryn, where Protestant residents are objecting to Catholic children walking to school through their area.
Mr Fred Cobain, Ulster Unionist MLA for North Belfast, said that he applauded the courage of those taking part in the Loyalist Commission. "The only way we are going to get forward is by trying to engage these people", he said. "The purpose of the commission, as I understand it, is to give the paramilitaries a vehicle to express how they see things going forward and to try and influence them as far as issues of paramilitary violence are concerned. And, in the long term, hopefully to wean them away from violence to a more constructive way of dealing with their problems."
Relations between the UDA and UVF have been strained in the aftermath of 14 people being killed and over 600 displaced from their homes in a loyalist feud last year.
The Progressive Unionist Party, the political wing of the UVF, has not been involved with the Loyalist Commission, according to the party leader, Mr David Ervine. The LVF has so far not been invited to join.
Pastor Kenny Clinton, a friend of the murdered former LVF leader, Billy Wright, said that the commission would have to involve all loyalist paramilitaries if it was to succeed. "It cannot be allowed to be hijacked by any one section of loyalism", he said.
This year has seen an upsurge in loyalist violence. Loyalist paramilitaries have been blamed for five sectarian murders - those of Mr Martin O'Hagan, Mr Trevor Lowry, Mr John Henry McCormack, Mr Ciarβn Cummings and Mr Gavin Brett. Loyalists are also thought to have been responsible for the vast majority of this year's 190 pipe-bomb attacks.