UVF calls end to terror campaign

[ChristianH]

The paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force has declared that it is renouncing violence and will cease to exist as a terrorist organisation from midnight.

It also said it will keep its weapons, but has put them "beyond reach".
However, the arms decommissioning body has said this did not meet the requirements set out in government legislation.
During the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the UVF murdered more than 500 people.

Its campaign also claimed the lives of 33 people in bomb attacks in Dublin and Monaghan in 1974.

The UVF statement said its weapons would be stored in a number of arms dumps "under the control of the UVF leadership, but not accessible for use by members".

The statement was read by Gusty Spence, who helped found the modern day UVF in 1966.


It declared a ceasefire 13 years ago, but since then its members have been blamed for more than 20 murders.
Speaking in Fernhill House in west Belfast on Thursday, Gusty Spence said that from midnight, the UVF and its associated group, the Red Hand Commando, "will assume a non-military, civilianised role".
As part of this move, he said the organisation had implemented a number of measures to deal with what it called the "transformation from a military to a civilian organisation".

These include an end to all recruitment, training and targeting, and all so-called "active service units" have been de-activated.

On the issue of weapons, the statement said these had been put beyond reach and that the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning led by General John de Chastelain had been informed.
However, it did not elaborate on what this means, or whether the general will be allowed to verify its claim.
The Progressive Unionist Party's Billy Hutchinson said: "People should be seeing this (statement) as a positive thing rather than a negative thing."
'Constitutional question'


The statement also condemned any criminal activity by its members, and said they should "cooperate fully with the lawful authorities in all possible instances".
The UVF has accepted that "the IRA's war is over" and said it was making this move now because it was satisfied that Northern Ireland's place within the United Kingdom was now safe.

The statement said: "We have taken the above measures in an earnest attempt to augment the return of accountable democracy to the people of Northern Ireland and as such, to engender confidence that the constitutional question has now been firmly settled."

There was also a call to the government to tackle the threat from republican dissidents, and a warning that these activities could "provoke another generation of loyalists toward armed resistance".

However, the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning urged the UVF to work with it to destroy its weaponry.
It said it welcomed the statement, but was "concerned by their intention to deal with their arms without the involvement of the IICD".

Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain welcomed the move as "a further welcome confirmation that Northern Ireland is emerging into a new and positive era".

Sinn Fein's John O'Dowd said: "This is a welcome statement if it signals a recognition of the new political reality where there is no room for armed or violent actions."
The DUP's Peter Robinson said: "The decision that the UVF is moving to a civilian mode is undoubtedly a major development and it is critical that all paramilitary groups follow this clear path."


The SDLP's Patsy McGlone said there was "a yawning credibility gap for the UVF on the issue of targeting and intelligence-gathering".
The Ulster Unionist Party's Fred Cobain said: "We hope it signals the destruction of materials of war so that they cannot again be used to inflict harm."
The PSNI said: "Whilst we welcome today's announcement, individuals and organisations will be judged by their actions - actions always speak louder than words."


- BBC

[Fiferbhoy1991]

i was jus about to start a thread about this. at last there is progress in Ulster. hopefully it means that ulster can gain its freedom by peaceful means

[Mark S]

Originally Posted by Fiferbhoy1991

i was jus about to start a thread about this. at last there is progress in Ulster. hopefully it means that ulster can gain its freedom by peaceful means

Not much you can do if the people of ulster want to stay with the UK.

To be honest, elections are rigged...you think england would wanna lose countries and make it look weak? no way

[Dougal]

At least this is a step in the right direction

[sco-ire1888]

good to hear, peace in the north hopefully will happen soon.

[Mark S]

Originally Posted by sco-ire1888

good to hear, peace in the north hopefully will happen soon.

Exactly dude, get the peace sorted out before deciding what colour of flag will be flown

[Numpty]

fuckin loyalist pricks!!

[Mark S]

aye theyre a bunch of wanks

[thebhoymalone]

Originally Posted by Tartan_Terror

Not much you can do if the people of ulster want to stay with the UK.

To be honest, elections are rigged...you think england would wanna lose countries and make it look weak? no way

The people of Ulster want to stay with the UK? By that i take it you mean the Ulster Protestants? I'm from Ulster and i certainly don't want to be a part of the UK. Fair enough, right now the Protestants have a majority in Northern Ireland, thus probably have the right in some peoples eyes to want to stay in the union with Britain, but sooner rather than later Catholics will be the majority in Ulster, then what? A referendum on the constitutionality of staying within Britain when a majority doesn't want to? I believe a United Ireland is on the way sooner rather than later, I can defenitley see it happening in our life time.

Elections aren't rigged, well especially Norn Iron's ones. We live in a modern liberal democracy which is supposedly characterised by "free and fair elections" amongst other things. In the 1980's a top British Government minister said something along the lines of "we have no strategic, economic or selfish needs" (something along those lines) when speaking about Northern Ireland. So that really meant Britain perhaps wants to get out of Ireland but can't until there is a peaceful settlement, much along the same way Iraq is at the minute, if UK and US left Iraq now the country would decend into chaos.

Regarding the UVF - scum.