Ulster Unionists have welcomed comments from the new Conservative Party leader suggesting that the international war on terrorism would have to confront the activities of the IRA.
Speaking at a political function in London on Tuesday night, Mr Iain Duncan Smith said: "Just ask yourself, what were three suspected members of the Provisional IRA doing in the terrorist-controlled, drug-producing jungle areas of Colombia last month?"
Mr Duncan Smith said British laws needed to be "changed as quickly as possible so that there is no possibility of Britain being a refuge for international terrorists and those who help them. From Afghanistan to Manhattan and the inner cities of Britain, terrorists are waging a war against decent, law-abiding people."
Welcoming Mr Duncan Smith's remarks, the Rev Martin Smyth MP said it was "in conceivable that we could be asked to support tough action against terrorism abroad while our Government remains weak in the face of it in our own back yard".