Northern Irish group to dump arms by February
Original Source: http://www.globalgoodnews.com
Author: Rueters
Original Publication Date: 8 September 2009
The last remaining paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland have vowed to scrap their weapons by February, officials said on Tuesday, but a large bomb find pointed to a continued security threat in the province.
The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and a breakaway faction have told the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD) that they were committed to destroying their arsenal following similar moves by the Ulster Volunteer Force and the Red Hand Commando in June.
‘Confirmation by the IICD that all five brigades of the UDA remain committed to completing decommissioning within the timeframe of the Commission is very welcome,’ said Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward.
The UDA had said in June it had destroyed part of its weaponry and signalled it would finish the job.
Northern Ireland has enjoyed relative peace since a 1998 peace deal ended the IRA’s military campaign against British control of the province.
But in a reminder that hardline splinter groups remained a threat, police said army experts had made safe a ‘significant’ device with about 600 lbs (272 kg) of home-made explosives on the border with the Republic of Ireland.
‘A command wire led from the roadside where it was planted to a firing point across the border,’ police said in a statement, adding that its officers may been targeted by the unknown perpetrators.
Paramilitary organisations that want to keep Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom have been under pressure for years to start getting rid of arms following the IRA’s decision to dispose of its weapons in 2005.
