The Loyalist Volunteer Force has carefully studied the IRA strategy of the early 1990s. If paramilitaries want to deal a major blow to an "enemy state", they should target the country's economy.
The LVF believes the Celtic Tiger is vulnerable. In its first media interview since its formation a year ago, a senior member of the organisation in Mid-Ulster threatened to kill foreign businessmen working in the Republic in order to end Dublin "interference" in Northern Ireland.
"The Irish Republic cannot withstand a terrorist offensive," he said. "What scale of violence is necessary to damage it? Mass bombing? Maybe just killing six people - three foreign industrialists and their wives and telling the rest of them to get out. That would put the Republic's economy up the Swanee."
The LVF leader said that foreign businessmen working in the Republic were "legitimate targets"["] because they were investing in a country which "sponsored IRA terrorism" and made "immoral claims" over Northern Ireland through Articles Two and Three of the Constitution.
The LVF, which opposes the ceasefire by loyalist paramilitary groups, has about 100 members in the North and its ranks have expanded rapidly in recent months as more loyalists grow disillusioned with the peace process, the spokesman said.
The interview took place at a location in Mid-Ulster. The LVF was formed last year. Although it is considerably smaller than the UVF, it has a strong presence in Mid-Ulster. It also has units in Antrim, parts of Belfast, south Down, and Derry. Around 20 loyalist prisoners in the Maze pledge allegiance to the LVF.
Security forces believe the organisation has the ability to destabilise a delicate security situation.
A number of seasoned UVF and UDA members have defected to the LVF, and it is gaining popularity with young militants. It has killed two Catholics in the North and planted a bomb in Dundalk last May but only the detonator exploded.
The LVF's arsenal includes AK47s, handguns, and it has access to the commercial explosive, Power Gel. It has had difficulties, however, constructing bombs.
The spokesman did not rule out planting more bombs in the Republic: "Maybe if bombs had been going off in Dublin, Cork and Wexford, the Anglo-Irish Agreement might not be in place, and the involvement of the Irish Republic in this country might not be so great."
He called for Articles Two and Three to be removed from the Constitution. "The Irish Republic has a territorial claim over my country - that is not a peaceful environment. The unionists of Ulster are the only people in the European Union who live under threat. This threat has to be removed. Otherwise, Dublin will reap what it sows."
He claimed the Government was guilty of hypocrisy. "Dublin politicians had the audacity to ask the people of Portadown and the Orange Order to seek consent to walk down the Garvaghy Road, yet they don't seek consent from us."
The LVF leader said although he trusted the British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, he had no confidence in the Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, who was "pro-republican" and inconsistent. Dr Mowlam was not upholding the principle of consent, he said, and he expressed concern that secret deals were being made with republicans before all-party negotiations even started.
The spokesman claimed the IRA was continuing to target people and there was no evidence that violence didn't pay. "The Provos broke off their ceasefire and killed people at Canary Wharf. Gusty Spence (the veteran loyalist) said that anyone who broke this ceasefire would be swatted like a fly. I didn't see any swatting done regarding the Provos."
He said the Progressive Unionist Party and the Ulster Democratic Party, the political wings of the UVF and UDA, did not represent the loyalist people. Mr David Ervine of the PUP had not spoken up for loyalists at political negotiations. "He hasn't fought for loyalist prisoners. They are lying in jail and there is not going to be one of them released until the IRA get what they want."
The spokesman said Mr Billy Wright, the Portadown loyalist, should be invited to the all-party talks as he was the only person who represented loyalists. He accused the PUP of weakness: "Gerry Adams will be sitting at the table with his shopping list. I haven't heard of a shopping list from Ervine."
The UVF has issued a death threat against Billy Wright and his associates and is believed to have been responsible for several attacks on other loyalists in recent weeks.