THE IRA's admission of responsibility for the Lisburn bombs was merely confirmation of what loyalists already knew, Mr David Ervine, spokesman for the Progressive Unionist Party, said last night.
Amid concerns of a possible loyalist paramilitary backlash, Mr Ervine was asked what message he had for loyalist paramilitaries. "Don't do it. Don't do it," he replied. "Let's not be driven by the lowest common denominator. Leave the fascists behind and allow the talks process here to try and develop something." The PUP has links with the UVF.
On Monday's bombing, he said. "Frankly this is the work of a group of people who have no interest in republicanism, in uniting Catholic, Protestant and Dissenter. Wolfe Tone must be spinning in his grave. These people are fascists."
As loyalist paramilitary leaders met to discuss their response to the Lisburn attack, their political representatives cautioned that any violent backlash would be playing into the hands of the IRA.
Against a backdrop of mounting concern for the future of the loyalist ceasefire which will be two years old on Sunday, both he and Mr David Adams and Mr Gary McMichael, of the UDA linked Ulster Democratic Party, reiterated their appears for restraint.
The leadership of the UDA, UVF and Red Hand Commando held separate meetings yesterday to decide on their reaction to the attack. A UDA source added, however, that up to last night there had been no meeting of the loyalist umbrella organisation, the Combined Loyalist Military Command (CLMC), which has ultimate responsibility for deciding the fate of the loyalist ceasefire. He expected the CLMC to meet shortly, after the different loyalist paramilitaries leaders hips had first deliberated.
The UDP leader, Mr McMichael, said all politicians and people of influence must do all in their power to try to avert a full scale resumption of violence. "Unfortunately it appears that the IRA are prepared to bring all of our people to the edge of the abyss."
Mr David Adams said the IRA seemed "hell bent" on making more difficult the task of the loyalist parties. The bombing was a deliberate attempt to provoke a reaction. "But we will do all that we can to ensure that the loyalist ceasefire remains in place."
