Decommissioning should not take place immediately because members of paramilitary organisations are not yet confident in the democratic process, Mr David Ervine, leader of the Progressive Unionist Party, has said.
"They are frightened. They are frightened they might be shafted. They are frightened someone might let them down. And their retention of the weapons, in some respects, allows the leader to say `hey guys, hold on, look at the risk you're taking here. That risk measured against your potential.'" Mr Ervine was delivering a lecture entitled "Redefining Loyalism" at University College Dublin, part of a series of lectures organised by the Institute for British Irish Studies and the Conference of University Rectors in Ireland.
He said those previously engaged in violence should have control over their weapons as they are brought into democratic politics.
"It is beneficial to have those weapons put beyond use but not necessarily, if you like, away from those who have previously been wedded to weapons or previously not held democratic convictions. And as we take them along the democratic path the requirement, the need for the weaponry, is becoming further distant."
He said it was his job to create a society where there were no paramilitaries, where there were no illegal weapons.
Mr Ervine said that before decommissioning a process of managing the risk of violence had to take place. "There is an element of conflict resolution that is needed and that is risk management . . . Let's form an implementation group or commission of all of those who advocate the Good Friday agreement and we will choreograph our way through that based on the politics of need rather than the politics of want."
Mr Ervine said he believed Mr Gerry Adams and Mr Martin McGuinness were genuine in their commitment to the Belfast Agreement. "I would not have come this far if I did not," he said.
But he said there were some in his community who did not want to believe they were genuine. "If decommissioning were to happen tomorrow the Democratic Unionist Party would turn into a large pile of defecation simply because their political careers would be over. They need the retention of weapons."