41.   The Protestant loyalist militia want to see Northern Ireland remain under the British flag while the IRA is fighting for a united Ireland.

42.   The province has been torn by three decades of violent conflict involving Republicans opposed both to Protestant loyalist paramilitary groups and British troops.

43.   The statement followed claims from Protestant loyalist areas that the security forces are now focussing more on them than on Catholic Republican areas, since the IRA ceasefire.

44.   The talks were considered the most significant since the IRA declared an unconditional ceasefire last September, followed by a Protestant loyalist truce six weeks later.

45.   The soldiers, originally sent in to protect Roman Catholics from attacks by Protestant loyalists, quickly became the target of Roman Catholic anger and retribution.

46.   There have been no reported attacks on the majority Protestant loyalist community since the ceasefire came into effect.

47.   Two highly-placed Protestant loyalists were shot dead in south Belfast late Sunday, police here said.

48.   Its immediate neighbour is the Protestant loyalist fief of Shankill.

49.   On Tuesday, two Catholic workmen were shot dead by Protestant loyalist gunmen on a Belfast construction site.

50.   Northern Ireland police swooped on Protestant loyalist hideouts in west and north Belfast early Monday, making a large but unspecified number of arrests, sources said.