Trimble calls on loyalists to decommission arms

The leader of the Ulster Unionists Mr David Trimble has called on loyalist paramilitaries to follow the example of th IRA and being to decommission their weapons.

He earlier said he would recommend to his party that they re-enter the Northern Ireland executive following today's IRA weapons move.

Mr Trimble was speaking after a meeting with the head of international decommissioning body, General John de Chastelain, where he said he was told the IRA had begun to put its arms beyond use.

"This is the day we were told would never happen, but I always believed it would," he said.

"People who talk about things like putting concrete lids or caps over bunkers ... that is not the case. What we are dealing with here is something which satisfies the statutory definition of decommissioning, and I think that is extremely important."

Mr Trimble said he would attend of meeting of the Ulster Unionist Council later this week, and he would be recommending that they re-enter the Northern Ireland Executive.

UUP ministers could be back in their offices in Stormont as early as next week, Mr Trimble said.