Robinson raises hopes of loyalist decommissioning

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Peter Robinson has held talks with loyalist paramilitary groups to secure their full support for peace, it was revealed tonight.

He met the leaderships of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and the Ulster Volunteer Force/Red Hand Commando (UVF/RHC), who are on ceasefire but have yet to decommission their weapons.

The talks come after a report by the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) ruled that the IRA had effectively gone out of existence.

First Minister Robinson said the talks were positive and revealed further meetings are planned.

"These meetings represent an opportunity to engage and discuss the process of transition from paramilitary organisations to people playing a full part in a peaceful and democratic Northern Ireland, with violence and criminality being firmly a thing of the past," he said.

"The DUP has always been of the view that Northern Ireland needs to move forward without paramilitary structures and where future intentions are firmly rooted in exclusively peaceful and democratic pursuits.

"The response from both the UDA and the UVF/RHC has been positive and there was a commitment to an ongoing engagement."