The move by the UVF and start made to the process by the UDA came ahead of Secretary of State Shaun Woodward's August deadline for significant progress on loyalist arms.

Mr Woodward described the announcement as the "culmination of a long and difficult process" for the UVF.

"The leadership of the UVF and RHC have taken a bold and courageous decision for peace.

"For those who have doubted the political process it is proof that the politics works, and that guns have no place in a normal society.

"I also welcome the movement by the UDA that they have started to decommission their weapons. I would encourage them to continue their engagement with the IICD and complete decommissioning as soon as possible."

DUP Leader and First Minister Peter Robinson said loyalists have "taken the right step".

"I am delighted that the UVF and RHC have rendered all of their weapons totally and irreversibly beyond use. It is also encouraging that the UDA have commenced the process of decommissioning. Taken together, this is a significant and historic milestone for Northern Ireland," he said.

"This decommissioning decision also comes at a crucial time for policing in Northern Ireland. Now that the loyalist paramilitaries have put their weaponry beyond use, the police will be able to focus their counter-terrorism policies on dissident republicans and the threat they pose."

Conservative shadow Secretary of State Owen Paterson said the news was "a massive step forward in the normalisation of life in Northern Ireland."

"It will be greatly welcomed by the communities that have been so badly affected by the violence of armed groups," he said.

Presbyterian Moderator The Rev Dr Stafford Carson also welcomed the decommissioning moves.

"The confirmation of the decommissioning of their weapons by the UVF and Red Hand Commando and the significant start made by the UDA is to be welcomed," he said.

"I hope that this will give everyone the confidence to commit themselves totally to the political process by which we can build a community where everyone has a part to play and a part in our shared and peaceful future together."

Irish President Mary McAleese described it as "a very important step in building and consolidating peace in Northern Ireland".

"In order to build on this important and welcome progress, we encourage those who have not yet completed the process to do so in co-operation with the IICD."

Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey said he welcomed the statements from both the UVF/RHC and the UDA but described them as "long overdue".

"We look forward to further action from the UDA, followed by a change in the mindset in loyalist areas, which, along with deprived nationalist areas, have not benefited from the peace process to the extent that we would like," he said.

Alliance leader David Ford described it as a "very positive development".

"These moves lift a massive weight of every person in Northern Ireland and in doing so allows people to continue to move forward to a better future," he said.

"Communities who have suffered at the hands of these groups will be reassured that it appears that they have decommissioned fully.
"We now need to see the UDA doing the same as quickly as possible."

SDLP leader and Foyle MP Mark Durkan said the sooner the UDA completed their decommissioning, the better.

"The news that the UVF and Red Hand Commando have put their weapons beyond use is very much welcome and is long overdue.
"The paramilitaries must stop all their illegal activities and end their malign inference in their communities without delay."

US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton last night welcomed the statements made over the weekend, which she said "underscore the remarkable progress that has taken place in Northern Ireland over the years".

"All parties agree, as the people of Northern Ireland do, that the only way forward is through peace and reconciliation, and not through violence. Peter Robinson and other unionist leaders should be commended for their efforts in convincing these groups to take this courageous step. Leaders on all sides deserve our praise for their continued commitment to moving the process forward.

"The United States remains engaged in order to support Northern Ireland in its progress towards a future of peace and prosperity."