Loyalist paramilitary representatives today held disarmament talks with the international decommissioning body in Belfast.
Political representatives of the Ulster Freedom Fighters and the Ulster Defence Association confirmed members of the organisations met General John De Chastelain, the Canadian officer appointed to oversee the destruction of all paramilitary weapons.
It is understood the move is part of an initiative by the terror organisation which saw it go on a 12-month cease-fire earlier this year.
An Ulster Political Research Group (UPRG) spokesman said: "We can confirm that representatives of the UFF and UDA met this afternoon with General John De Chastelain." The UPRG, composed of former loyalists and political and religious representatives, has been acting as a mediator between on behalsf of Northern paramilitaries.
A spokesman for the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning later confirmed the meeting had taken place but refused to go into detail.
Earlier this year the UDA handed over a stockpile of pipe bombs to police in west Belfast. Despite its leaders claiming it was not an act of disarmament, it was widely seen as a move towards decommissioning.
PA