McMichael warns about `favourable treatment' of nationalists

The Ulster Democratic Party has warned that loyalist support for the Belfast Agreement is being undermined by the British government…

The Ulster Democratic Party has warned that loyalist support for the Belfast Agreement is being undermined by the British government's "favourable treatment" of nationalists.

Mr Gary McMichael, the leader of the UDP - the UDA's political wing - said the Protestant community was angry at what it believed was London's pandering to nationalists, particularly the inquiry into the murder of the Belfast solicitor, Mr Pat Finucane.

Two men have recently been charged in connection with the 1989 shooting. Nationalists have constantly claimed that there was security force collusion in the killing. "There is a lot of ill-feeling in the loyalist community that the Finucane inquiry appears to be designed to placate demands from republicans," said Mr McMichael.

"The investigation is politically directed. That obviously undermines confidence in the British government's approach to the peace process."

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However he said he was not aware of any threat to the UDA/UFF ceasefire. "I have no indication that the UFF ceasefire is under review and I urge loyalists to continue to support the Good Friday agreement, although the government must think about what it is doing.

"It is particularly frustrating for loyalists to see the Finucane inquiry progressing while the government still ignores demands for an inquiry into the murder of Billy Wright or ethnic cleansing of Protestants from Border areas."

Mr McMichael's reassurances on the UFF ceasefire came after the Irish News reported his party colleague, Mr John White, as saying the ceasefire was on "tenterhooks". Mr White was quoted as saying he had been approached by UFF members in recent days who had voiced outrage about the Finucane arrests. He said the developments "could have a devastating effect on the UFF ceasefire".

Meanwhile, the Northern Ireland Office has conceded that the murder of Mr Charles Bennett in Belfast last week was a paramilitary killing but said it was "too early" to attribute it to any organisation. Both security and republican sources have said that the Provisional IRA was responsible.