Loyalist anger over political process

UFF withdrew its support for the Good Friday Agreement

The Northern Ireland political process has suffered a setback after two loyalist groups withdrew support over what they called "republican concessions" and lack of IRA decommissioning.

The move came against a backdrop of intensive talks brokered by the British and Irish governments to try to break the political impasse.

The talks centre on former first minister David Trimble's refusal to sit in government with republicans without arms decommissioning from the IRA.

In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, the loyalist paramilitary Ulster Freedom Fighters withdrew its support for the Good Friday Agreement.

However, although it withdrew its support from the accord on which the current Northern Ireland political process is based, it said it did not intend to end its ceasefire.

David Ervine: "Republicans will not answer questions"

Meanwhile, the Progressive Unionist Party, which is linked to Northern Ireland's other main loyalist paramilitary group, the Ulster Volunteer Force, said it was withdrawing from the current talks process aimed at saving devolution.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday afternoon, PUP assembly member David Ervine said, however, that while his party was pulling out of the "current phase" of the political process, it was not withdrawing from the peace process.

He also said that his party saw no way forward in the peace process without dialogue and that he hoped his party could return to talks.

But he said this would not happen until republicans clearly explained their intentions in the peace process.

Mr Ervine said the IRA had stated last year that they would put their arms beyond use when the "root causes of conflict are addressed".

'Concession after concession'

He said he had asked Sinn Fein on Monday at the talks what was meant by the root causes of conflict.

"This they singularly refused to do," he said.

Mr Ervine added that it was unacceptable that the British Government was handing "concession after concession" to Sinn Fein from a "republican shopping list".

There can be no more concessions to nationalism while the fabric of our loyalist community is torn assunder

UFF statement

On the issue of the peace process, Mr Ervine said it was completely up to the UVF whether it decided to keep in contact with the international arms decommissioning body.

The UVF's representative to the body, PUP assemblyman Billy Hutchinson, who was also at the news conference, said he did not expect to meet the UVF in the near future.

The latest report from the body headed by General John de Chastelain said that neither the IRA nor the main loyalist paramilitary groups had moved to start decommissioning or say how they might do so.

The UFF and UVF called an end to their violence in 1994 following the IRA's ceasefire.

In its statement on Tuesday, the UFF also criticised perceived concessions to the republicans.

It said: "We can no longer remain silent in our criticism of an Agreement which the majority of our leadership have voiced their opposition to and which the vast majority of the unionist community have grown to despise.

"We find it intolerable that Sinn Fein have gained concession after concession yet there is still a growing erosion of our culture and our heritage."

Meanwhile, the second day of intensive talks at Weston Park in Staffordshire are continuing.

They involve Prime Minister Tony Blair, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and the three main pro-Agreement parties - the Ulster Unionist Party, SDLP and Sinn Fein.