Mr Billy Hutchinson, of the Progressive Unionist Party, the UVF's political wing, has told the British government that loyalists were losing faith in the peace process because of the perception that it was biased in favour of republicans, particularly on prisoner releases.
Mr Hutchinson yesterday held an hour-long meeting with the North's Security Minister, Mr Adam Ingram. Speaking to journalists afterwards, he also expressed doubt that the INLA was about to call a ceasefire, saying it contradicted information he had received from security sources.
The PUP Assembly member told Mr Ingram that prisoner releases were moving too slowly for loyalists and that inmates in Scottish and English jails were not benefiting.
He also expressed dissatisfaction with restrictions placed on parolees. Last week, a loyalist prisoner lost a High Court attempt to overturn rules preventing him from making public appearances and political statements while on parole.
The next day, the British government sanctioned the eight-hour release of two IRA members to attend a Sinn Fein meeting with the Sentence Review Commission.
"I'm not opposed to that idea but what concerns me is that prisoners can't make political statements and then, the next day, all this happens," he said.
Mr Hutchinson said the level of anger among loyalists that the peace process was "weighted towards republicans" should not be under-estimated. "The perception in my community is republicans are getting everything and unionists are getting nothing. It's not just on prisoners - it's the wider issues in terms of funding the community groups; creation of jobs in local working-class areas, Protestant areas."
He said attempts to explain away the "imbalance" in favour of republicans were not accepted by loyalists. "The perception is that it is happening and the reality is that it does happen. And what I'd be concerned about is that people lose faith in this agreement because of it." Responding to speculation that the INLA might be about to call a ceasefire, Mr Hutchinson said he did not know what was happening within the republican group. His party had been repeatedly warned by the RUC that members were under threat of assassination from the INLA.
"I can't understand the mixed messages we're getting. Security forces are telling us somebody is trying to murder us and it's more than likely the INLA, and then we hear they're going to go on ceasefire."
Even if an INLA ceasefire was to be declared next month, Mr Hutchinson did not rule out attacks on loyalists by the group in the run-up to the announcement. He said several loyalists were killed just before the 1994 IRA ceasefire.
Sinn Fein has responded cautiously to the LVF's weekend ceasefire announcement. Mr Alex Maskey said it was widely believed that the declaration was not genuine. "Already there is some evidence that they have formed a new group in Derry which was responsible for the recent shooting of two brothers in the Waterside.
"However, like most people, particularly those Catholics living in vulnerable areas who the LVF were targeting, I welcome any decision to stop killing Catholics."
Since the LVF's announcement, pressure has intensified on the IRA to say that its war is over. However, the SDLP yesterday said that new verbal tests were not helpful to the peace process.
The party's Assemblyman for North Antrim, Mr Sean Farren, said: "The current controversy over whether or how parties should declare the `war' is over has all the potential to reinforce rather than remove mistrust and suspicion. It is a controversy in which satisfaction is unlikely to be acknowledged on any side.
"Rather than focusing on new formulas, what is required is a clear indication that parties are fulfilling all the obligations to which they committed themselves in the Good Friday agreement. It is from the fulfilment of these commitments that it will be made clear whether or not there is an end to politically-motivated violence."