Loyalist prisoners released from the Maze have vowed to play an "active and constructive role" in the normalisation of Northern Ireland's society.
Speaking as 12 members of the Ulster Defence Association (Ulster Freedom Fighters) walked through the jail's turnstile yesterday morning, their spokesman said they hoped to have been the "last generation that had to go to war in defence of our community".
Welcoming the prisoners, Mr John White, a leading member of the Ulster Democratic Party, the UDA's political wing, said loyalists were "mindful" of the pain the prisoner releases were causing among victims.
"We are mindful of the victims of the Troubles. All sides have suffered greatly and we acknowledge the hurt felt by the victims of this war and their families. We are committed to the normalisation of our society and will play an active and constructive role to this end," he added.
Mr White, who served a sentence for murder in the Maze in the 1970s, denied that the reception the UDA prisoners got from their 100 or so supporters, many of them waving flags and banners, was triumphalist.
"There is absolutely no triumphalism here. These people are only supporting their comrades released from prison and I think the statement by the prisoners reflects their thoughts on the innocent victims," he said.
Among the loyalist supporters was the leading UDA member Johnny Adair, who was released from the Maze some months ago.
Earlier, eight prisoners from the Ulster Volunteer Force walked out through an unwatched side gate. They were welcomed by a spokesman for the Progressive Unionist Party, the UVF's political wing, Mr William Smith, who said it was not his party's intention to "glorify" the occasion.
The UDA prisoners were followed by six prisoners from the Loyalist Volunteer Force, among them Torrens Knight, charged in connection with the Greysteel pub massacre.