A Belfast pro-peace group, Families Against Intimidation and Terror, has published the latest figures on violence with its hard-hitting report called New Start.

The group reported that there were more than 400 terrorist incidents in Northern Ireland in the first 10 months of the year. It said there were 150 more so far this month alone.

'Murder and mutilation must stop'

As the Prime Minister Tony Blair was in Belfast to push the peace process forward, FAIT called on the British and Irish Governments to set a 1 January 1999 deadline after which beatings, shootings and expulsions would be judged to be a breach of the Mitchell Principles on non-violence.

"The governments need now to set the ceasefires within parameters that give all of our citizens confidence in the peace process, and not simply have ceasefires within the terrorist parameters that allow them to continue their cowardly deeds of mutilation and murder," said FAIT development officer Vincent McKenna.

He said there was no such thing as acceptable level of violence within the peace process.

"A peace process should mean a government commitment to the total eradication of terrorist activity. To turn a blind eye to one mutilation, one beating or one murder is to condemn the people of Northern Ireland to the dictates of the terrorist godfathers," he said.

Mr McKenna said the level of terrorist violence was "making a mockery" of the peace process.

He called on sanctions against political parties in the new assembly which were linked to the paramilitaries.

"So be it if the temporary expulsion of parties linked to the paramilitaries from the Assembly after January 1 delays the setting up of Executive bodies by two to three weeks. If it leads to the further democratisation of these parties then that's got to be good for everyone."

Violence from both sides

The FAIT report recorded 55 murders in the first 10 months of the year and 61 terrorist shootings - 32 republican and 29 loyalist.

It said there were 118 terrorist beatings (75 by loyalists and 43 by republicans), 93 cases of intimidation (51 loyalist and 42 republican), and 94 people being expelled from their homes (49 loyalist and 45 republican).

In a supplementary report covering, FAIT reported a huge rise in cases of intimidation this month by both the IRA and loyalist groups - totalling 67 and 48 respectively.

It blamed the IRA for a further seven beatings and three shootings, and loyalists for five shootings and seven beatings.

The report said all the acts this month were carried out by terror groups represented in the peace process.

"The incidents in November alone have directly effected the lives of 95 children from the ages of three months to eighteen years. As a direct result of these terrorist incidents 37 families have had to be rehoused," it said.