UUP Leader responds to 13th IMC Report
Responding to the publication of the Thirteenth IMC Report UUP Leader Sir Reg Empey said,
I welcome this latest Report and in particular the clarity over the IRA. It is clear that barring some sporadic and unsanctioned activity, the IRA continues to make progress towards exclusively peaceful and democratic means.
With regards to Loyalist paramilitaries I would encourage them to quicken the pace of change to ensure a complete and unambiguous commitment to exclusively peaceful means.
This is the thirteenth IMC Report. It is perhaps easy as we read this report to forget how far our society has come in recent years. For three decades the IRA was involved in systematic acts of terror. The IMC is convinced that this belongs to the past.
The UUP had negotiated with the government for the creation of the IMC against fierce opposition from DUP and others. It is yet another piece of the jigsaw in place and I welcome their impartial role in helping Northern Ireland achieve normality.”