McAleese: ‘Milestone for peace’

PRESIDENT Mary McAleese said the announcement by the UDA was a positive milestone on the journey to peace.

“The decommissioning of weapons by the UDA... is further testimony to the reality that we are witnessing the deconstruction of a culture of paramilitarism in Northern Ireland and that it is being replaced by a culture of consensus, democracy and good neighbourliness.”

Taoiseach Brian Cowen said the news was a clear signal that the North has moved on and the democratic institutions established by the Good Friday Agreement are the means through which the entire community in the North and of this island, can and will build lasting peace and prosperity.