Loyalist dismisses SF leader's UDA claims

A senior loyalist today rejected claims by Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams that British intelligence has urged the Ulster Defence Association to re-group under one supreme commander.

The Sinn Fein president alleged in a newspaper article reviewing the crisis in the Northern Ireland peace process that the British government was aware of the plan.

But John White, who chaired the UDA’s political wing before it was disbanded, dismissed Mr Adams’ assessment as rubbish.

Mr White said: ‘‘There are six brigadiers in that organisation and I don’t think any of them would want to relinquish their power base because it would be undermining their position.’’

Mr Adams had said in an article for an Irish American newspaper: ‘‘For the last few months, the UDA has been actively recruiting and reorganising.

‘‘There is an effort to place the entire organisation under one supreme commander.

‘‘The British government know this. Indeed, in my view, British intelligence agencies are actively encouraging this.’’

Mr Adams said that a recent firebomb and gun attack on Catholic homes on the outskirts of north Belfast was an attempt to ‘‘divert UDA energies’’ from a feud with the rival Ulster Volunteer Force.

Leading loyalist Johnny Adair was re-imprisoned two years ago by the then Northern Ireland Secretary, Peter Mandelson, after a bitter feud erupted between the two loyalist organisations in the Shankill area of Belfast.

Adair was released in May and took part in talks on sectarian interface violence between the Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid and members of the Loyalist Commission, which is made up of paramilitaries, churches and politicians.

Nationalists and republicans have accused the UDA of orchestrating this summer’s disturbances an allegation which unionists have in their turn directed at the IRA.

But Mr White, a close associate of Adair, and now a central figure in the Ulster Political Research Group, denied that there were any moves afoot to unify the UDA from its loose coalition.

‘‘Some people may think that would be positive for the organisation and some have argued that the structures need to be looked at,’’ he said.

‘‘But my understanding is that it just won’t happen in the foreseeable future.’’

Mr White also dismissed claims that British intelligence agencies were pressing for the UDA to make the move, saying: ‘‘The British government have no direct contact with the UDA, the only way would be through people like myself.’’

Mr Adams also claimed that intelligence chiefs knew which loyalist paramilitaries killed north Belfast teenager Gerard Lawlor last month.

The UDA claimed responsibility for the murder of Gerard Lawlor on July 21 in the Whitewell area of Belfast after a series of failed murder bids in the north of the city sparked by a republican gun attack along the peace line in Ardoyne which wounded a loyalist.

The group said the shooting was a ‘‘measured, military response’’.

Mr Adams called on the Police Service of Northern Ireland to publish the forensic history of the gun used to kill Mr Lawlor, a 19-year-old father-of-one, and of other weapons used in recent loyalist attacks.

He claimed in his article in the Irish Voice newspaper: ‘‘The killing of young Gerard Lawlor can be traced to the same group and Sinn Fein is calling upon the police service to release forensic records of the weapons used in the series of attacks against Catholics.’’