A top UDA figure told the News Letter that actual disarmament is not on its immediate agenda and getting rid of its armoury would have to be "part of a process" involving dealing with the concerns of loyalist communities.

Last year, during a confrontation with Stormont Minister Margaret Ritchie over funding for a loyalist community scheme, the largest paramilitary group had said disarmament was "not on our radar".

The senior UDA figure said: "We said it was not on the radar. That position has moved on and we are at a point where people (the UDA) are talking about talking about it, but that is as far as it goes at the moment."

Security Minister Paul Goggins and Sir Hugh Orde met members of the terrorist organisation's ruling inner council in Belfast on Monday night.

The Northern Ireland Office and PSNI both confirmed the private discussions between members of the Ulster Political Research Group – the UDA's political wing – and "other leading loyalists".

These other loyalists included UDA "brigadiers" such as Jackie McDonald.

The meeting follows Secretary of State Shaun Woodward's recent warning that if arms are not dealt with by loyalists before the decommissioning scheme ends in around 18 months, the authorities will pursue the terrorists and put them behind bars.

The UDA leader said: "What the Secretary of State said has had no impact and our position.

"This has to be a process – not 'the IRA disarmed so you must disarm'.

"The folks on the hill (at Stormont) keep talking about normal society and moving on but none of that normality and no benefit has filtered down to loyalist communities. They feel as if the world is moving on without them.

"What has the Good Friday Agreement or St Andrews delivered? Ask the man in Sandy Row or on the Shankill or up in north Antrim."

The reason for Sir Hugh Orde's attendance at what most would view as a political dialogue remains unclear.

A PSNI spokesman said the meeting would have no impact on "the Police Service's record on dealing with loyalist paramilitaries and those involved in criminality is very clear – it will not be tolerated".

The meeting became public on the same day that the PSNI's commitment to pursuing loyalist paramilitary arms came into question, after Assistant Chief Constable and Special Branch head Peter Sheridan was quoted as saying the police knew where the paramilitary weapons were.

Asked if police had intelligence to tell them where loyalists' arms dumps are, he was reported as responding "In a word, yes".

This prompted questions about why the PSNI was not seizing the armoury.

The News Letter put Mr Sheridan's remark and this question to the police.

A PSNI spokesman did not deal directly with the query and instead said: "Police would never ignore intelligence which could help protect life and property.

"The PSNI's record of combating loyalist criminality and paramilitary activity in recent years is a positive one.