loyalist dump arms ,uda statement

Sceala Clann Counsellor Location: NZ

the loyalists are going to dump all of their guns and bombs.
the british and irish governments have welcomed the destruction of weaponry, but said they had yet to receive official confirmation of the move from the independent international commission on decommissioning.
unless i am reading this incorrectly ,or too simply. this is excellent news. of course ,i hope i am not being naive.
following some comments made by members with proven insights to all this ,i do wonder about the motivation behind this move. and if the loyalists are being financially incentivised for doing this.

i have heard first hand accounts of the awfull public spending cutbacks in ireland.
i did not want to believe that the irish government was giving billions to failed and corrupt banks, at the same time that they are making cut backs to our lady's childrens hospital ,crumlin. appointments for sick children are being cancelled because of an apparent lack of money.
i hope the irish government are not giving these terrorists any money to behave like normal decent citizens.
i do not think we should just forget that these loyalists have murdered and terrorized so many innocent people.
it will be a mortal sin for anyone who would reward them.

uda statement
today is a milestone in the history of loyalism, and northern ireland.
we came together to protect our communities and fought a long war to defend them against republican violence.
the struggle has ended. peace and democracy have been secured and the need for armed resistance has gone. consequently we are putting our arsenal of weaponry permanently beyond use.
this is a courageous and unprecedented move that is part of a wider transition from conflict to peace.
this process was initiated in autumn 2008 when the combined loyalist military command was reconvened to address the outstanding issue of loyalist military material.
as a result of those discussions, all constituent parts agreed to set in place the internal arrangements necessary to begin the disarmament process.
as a result we have held a series of meetings with general john de chastelain and his team who have witnessed an act of decommissioning.
this process will be completed within the previously notified timescale. by carrying out this act we are helping to build a new and better the north of Ireland where conflict is a thing of the past.
in this important moment in our history we wish to pay tribute to the courage and fortitude of our comrades and communities.
to those who have died, we salute you and forever treasure your memory.
to those who have lost loved ones, we share your grief.
to those who have been injured or imprisoned, we thank you for your sacrifice.
the dark days are now behind us and it is time to move on. there is no place for guns and violence in the new society we are building. it is time to work for a better future.
many loyalist areas suffer high levels of deprivation and poverty, and we have a commitment to the communities that we have defended all these years.
we will work with our people to build stronger and better communities so that our children and our children's children can enjoy peace and prosperity.
we are proud of our past and we rejoice in the new found peace, stability and democracy which we helped to secure. we look forward to playing our part in building a better the north of Ireland.
as john mcmichael stated before his untimely death: 'there is no section of this divided ulster community which is totally innocent or indeed totally guilty, totally right or totally wrong.
'we all share the responsibility for creating the situation, either by deed or by acquiescence.
'therefore we must share the responsibility for finding a settlement and share the responsibility of maintaining good government.'

a spokesman for the independent international commission on decommissioning (iicd) said: 'we have no comment at this stage other than we expect to be reporting to the government at the end of august.'

british secretary shaun woodward is being fully briefed on the developing process but a spokesman in belfast today said he could not confirm if there had been acts of disarmament.
earlier this year mr woodward controversially extended legislation allowing paramilitary groups to decommission in the hope loyalists would fully engage with the iicd.
but he warned that if the loyalists did not act by august, he would be closing down the process.
amid mounting claims that the uvf had decommissioned weapons and speculation over the status of the uda, politicians in the north of Ireland welcomed the prospect of illegal guns being taken off the streets.

alliance leader david ford said: 'this appears to be a significant development. progress from loyalist paramilitaries was needed and i hope there can be swift and full decommissioning.'

senior sinn fein representative gerry kelly said: 'if these reports prove to be true and the uvf have now followed suit then that would obviously be a welcome move.
"it is also important that other armed organisations go down this road.'

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loyalist dump arms ,uda statement