AHERN'S DEPARTING SPEECH:TAOISEACH BERTIE Ahern has disclosed that he held secret meetings with the leaders of the two main loyalist paramilitary organisations within a close distance of Leinster House during crucial periods of the peace process.
In a departing speech to the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party, Mr Ahern said that he met the leadership of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) at an undisclosed location in the centre of Dublin.
According to one TD at the Fianna Fáil gathering on Tuesday night, Mr Ahern said he met the loyalists within 100 yards of Leinster House.
The Taoiseach did not reveal the dates of the meetings but it is likely they took place at the latter stages of the process, in 2006.
Mr Ahern cited the anecdote to back up the argument that many of the vital breakthroughs in the process were achieved behind closed doors.
The Taoiseach was reflecting on the achievements of the peace process over the course of a decade.
TDs who were at the meeting said Mr Ahern recalled that a delegation member of one of the paramilitary groups told him that he was "unique" in the room because he was the only person there who had not murdered anybody.
Both organisations were proscribed and continued to be active during the peace process. Since the Independent Monitoring Commission's establishment in 2004, both organisations have been regularly identified as being involved in ongoing criminal and paramilitary activities.
Groups with links to the paramilitary organisations, including the Ulster Political Research Group, also met the Taoiseach in 2006, but openly in Government Buildings.
In May 2007, the UVF issued a statement that all its active units had been deactivated, that all weapons had been put beyond reach and that all targeting had ceased.
The UDA followed with a similar statement in November last year, but said it would not surrender its weapons.
Dr Martin McAleese, the husband of President Mary McAleese, also became involved in informal links and dialogue with loyalist paramilitary groups.
Mr Ahern also told the meeting of Fianna Fáil TDs and Senators that he felt that he was being unfairly treated by the Mahon tribunal. He asked his parliamentary colleagues for their support in his continuing dealings with the tribunal.
