UDA ponders general intervention

The UDA may ask General de Chastelain to brief Margaret Ritchie

The UDA leadership may ask General John de Chastelain to brief the social development minister on talks about the organisation's guns.

They want the head of the international decommissioning body to brief Margaret Ritchie and the two governments on the progress of almost two years of talks.

The minister has warned that she could withdraw more than £1m funding for a project in loyalist areas.

She said she will do so unless the UDA starts to decommission within 11 days.

Decommissioning was not part of the contract when the government agreed to fund the three-year project in loyalist areas, which it hoped would help move the UDA away from violence and crime.

But Ms Ritchie has made it clear that the UDA's guns must be part of the equation.

She has said any move on decommissioning would have to be verified by General John de Chastelain.

The UDA and its representatives have been meeting the international commission on decommissioning for almost two years now. The last meeting was earlier this month.

They hope a briefing on the talks would convince the minister that the UDA is serious about addressing the issue of guns - and persuade her not to withdraw the funding.

Ms Ritchie met with UDA leader Jackie McDonald and two of its political representatives on Thursday.