The main loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland announced Saturday they were decommissioning their weapons, a new milestone on the road to peace after decades of unrest.

The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and Red Hand Commandos (RHC) have reportedly killed around 1000 people between them during several decades of unrest known as the Troubles.

"The dark days are now behind us and it is time to move on," the UDA said in a statement.

"There is no place for guns and violence in the new society we are building. It is time to work for a better future."

The move was welcomed by political leaders in Northern Ireland, Britain and Ireland. Britain's Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward said it was a "historic day".

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the announcements highlighted the "remarkable progress" in the province in recent years.

They showed the "only way forward is through peace and reconciliation", said Clinton, whose husband Bill played an important role in helping to get Northern Ireland's divided community to sit down together when he was US president.

European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso said the loyalists' decommissioning "will assist in advancing the transformation sought by all the people of Northern Ireland".

Loyalists are Northern Ireland Protestants who want the province to remain part of Britain and are historic foes of Catholic republicans, who believe it should become part of the Republic of Ireland.

A 1998 peace accord ended most of the violence which had plagued Northern Ireland for three decades, killing at least 3500 people.

Devolved self-rule is now in place in the British province after a landmark accord in 2007 between the Protestant Democratic Unionists (DUP) and Catholic Sinn Fein.

As part of moves overseen by an official commission, the UVF and RHC said they had destroyed their entire arsenals, while the UDA has got rid of some of its arms and has started the process of total decommissioning.

'Meaningful progress'

Britain's Woodward had given loyalist groups an ultimatum, saying they must show "meaningful progress" on decommissioning by August.

The Irish Republican Army (IRA), the main republican paramilitary group, finished destroying its arsenal four years ago, overseen by the commission.

Loyalist groups began disarming last year but the process was suspended after two British soldiers and a policeman in Northern Ireland were shot dead by dissident republicans in March.

The process restarted after reassurances from the British and Irish governments that those responsible for the attacks "would be vigorously pursued", the UVF and RHC said.

Four men have been charged following the two separate attacks.

Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson, of the DUP, welcomed Saturday's announcement, saying: "By decommissioning their weapons, they not only demonstrate their commitment to building a peaceful future in Northern Ireland but also their confidence in the political situation and the security of the union (of Britain)".

Woodward said: "The leadership of the UVF and RHC have today taken a bold and courageous decision for peace.

"For those who have doubted the political process it is proof that the politics works, and that guns have no place in a normal society."

The loyalists' announcement was also welcomed by Ireland.

President Mary McAleese said: "This is a very important step in building and consolidating peace in Northern Ireland and signals a turning away from a culture of conflict towards a culture of good neighbourliness, within Northern Ireland and on the island of Ireland."

AFP