The south Belfast loyalist, who is widely seen as the leader of the UDA, said he "won't be found wanting" and is "committed to this sharing process" despite the cancellation of a cross-community discussion at a GAA club in west Belfast on Wednesday night.

Mr McDonald and fellow loyalist Colin Halliday were scheduled to speak at the event at Sarsfields GAC in the heart of nationalist Andersonstown, but it was cancelled by the club after an outcry following Press reports that the two men were to attend.

The function was organised by the Standing Northern Ireland Peace Process (Snipp) group, which is made up of representatives from both sides of the political divide.

Sarsfield said their rooms were booked privately and they were unaware of the exact nature of the event until they read about it in the media.

The club then cancelled the function, claiming they did not want to be at the centre of a major security and media focus.

The club also acknowledged that many of its members, including families of victims of loyalists, were against the event because of the presence of Mr McDonald.

Snipp was set up to try and build links between the two communities and has already held public meetings in Mr McDonald's loyalist heartland of south Belfast, attended by NIO and Irish government officials.

Last night, the two leaders issued a joint statement on behalf of Snipp, saying they understood the reluctance to engage in the nationalist community, but said they were willing to continue dialogue.

They said: "We very much appreciate the fear and hurt still being felt by many people in the nationalist/republican community because of their experiences during our time of intercommunal conflict.

"This is also very true for many in our own community who also bear the scars of such hurt.