Murphy welcomes UDA ceasefire

Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy today welcomed the announcement from the loyalist Ulster Defence Association to declare a 12-month ceasefire but urged them to work towards the ending of all paramilitary activity.

Just hours after the UDA confirmed that it was re-engaging with the international decommissioning body in Belfast and giving its political associates in the Ulster Political Research Group a year to steer the organisation down a political path, Mr Murphy urged them to go the extra mile by ending all activity for good.