The UDA and its breakaway section in southeast Antrim have told the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD) that they are committed to full disarmament by February.
In its latest report to the British and Irish governments the IICD said the UVF had completed decommissioning in June while the five brigades of the mainstream UDA and the southeast Antrim UDA had begun the process.
On the prospects for the mainstream and breakaway UDA groups, the commission said it believed both bodies would complete the process of disarmament within the timeframe of its “current and final mandate”.
It said it had overseen two acts of disarmament by the southeast Antrim group.
The undertaking by the UDA comes after the Ulster Volunteer Forces and Red Hand Commando (RHC) put all their guns beyond use in June.
At that time both the leadership of the UDA and the southeast Antrim unit said they had destroyed part of their arsenals, and indicated that they would complete the task at some point.
In the IICD’s latest report to the Government, commission head General John de Chastelain told Secretary of State Shaun Woodward that both groups have now committed to doing so by February - when an amnesty to allow paramilitaries to decommission without fear of prosecution finally ends.
In a statement this morning, the Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern said he welcomed the decommissioning of weapons by loyalist groups.
"This clearly confirms that significant progress has been made in taking paramilitary weapons out of use. The emphasis must now be on resolving differences through political means," he said. "I believe it vindicates the view of the two governments that the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning should be allowed to complete its task."
The Secretary of State last night hailed the IICD report as hugely significant. “The end is in sight for the decommissioning process,” Mr Woodward said. “So much has been achieved by the IICD since it was established and I would urge all groups to continue to work with the Commission and put their arms beyond use before the scheme comes to an end in February.”
In the report, Canadian Gen de Chastelain and fellow commission members Norwegian Brigadier Tauno Nieminen and Andrew Sens, from America, confirmed they had witnessed the UVF/RHC decommissioning acts at first hand. A substantial quantity of firearms, ammunition and explosives were put beyond use, they said.
They also dismissed recent speculation that the UDA’s Derry/North Antrim brigade was refusing to give up its arms and said its leaders had given a commitment they were still on board.
“In conclusion, we feel that substantial practical progress has been made on decommissioning Loyalist paramilitary arms,” they wrote. “We believe we have completed the decommissioning of the UVF/RHC arms and we have been given a commitment by representatives of the UDA and the UDA South East Antrim group that they will complete the decommissioning of their arms within the timeframe of the Commission’s current and final mandate.”