UDA decommissioning move welcomed

THE Government has welcomed indications that one of the main loyalist paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland is preparing to decommission.

In a statement read out to supporters at a Remembrance Day ceremony in Rathcoole in the outskirts of Belfast yesterday, the UDA said it wanted to discuss its future with the British Government.

Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern said he would welcome moves by all paramilitary groups towards decommissioning. Mr Ahern said any efforts to bring about a lasting settlement in the North should be praised.