ANDREW SENS, a member of the decommissioning body chaired by Gen John de Chastelain, told the Mitchell conference he was confident loyalist paramilitary decommissioning would happen “pretty soon”.
He said the decommissioning body would try to facilitate such a move by the UVF and UDA and other paramilitaries. “I am pretty confident we will see it,” said Mr Sens, a former US career diplomat.
His prediction came after Northern Secretary Shaun Woodward told the conference that serious consideration was being given to winding up the decommissioning body and the Independent Monitoring Commission.
“I don’t see them being wound up next week or even next month. But it is not a matter of years and years,” he said.
“As for those who still retain their weapons, take very careful note of what I am saying. These structures are now time-limited, they are not here forever.”
One source said the decommissioning body, which has cost nearly £9 million since it was established in 1997, could cease to exist within two years. If this happened loyalist groups would be treated as criminal organisations, there would be no amnesty for moving arms in order to decommission and weapons could be forensically tested and used as evidence.
Mr Woodward indicated that he also wanted to see the IRA army council wound up.
