A top Ulster Unionist has admitted advising the Loyalist Commission at the height of the UDA's campaign of violence against the Catholic community.
The revelation came as Chief Constable Hugh Orde met a delegation from the controversial group, which is made up of clergymen, unionist politicians and senior representatives of the UDA, UVF and Red Hand Commando.
Lord Laird of Artigarvan has said he gave PR advice to the commission, which recently passed a motion to boycott the Sunday Worldnewspaper.
It is understood newsagents stocking the paper and distributors have been threatened by loyalist paramilitaries.
And last night, Sunday Worldeditor Jim McDowell confirmed he had received two death threats in the last seven days, and confronted members of the commission for answers at the meeting with Mr Orde.
It has also emerged that the PR company, which Lord Laird is chairman of, has been working with the Independent newspaper group – part owners of the Sunday World– for the last five years.
Lord Laird said: "I went along on one occasion and talked to them (commission) over a year ago, which I was quite happy to do.
"I feel very strongly that organisations sometimes get misrepresented... I would be concerned that people like the Loyalist Commission would be misunderstood."
Asked by the Irish News if he felt morally torn addressing a group which includes UDA paramilitaries – an organisation heavily involved in violence
which continued throughout the year, claiming the lives of two Catholic teenagers – the peer stressed he had "no time for any form of violence whatsoever".
"In Northern Ireland there is a process underway to try and turn people away from their former activities and to try to show them a different way forward. It is important that we use our limited abilities for a way forward," he said.
A number of unionist politicians have been involved with the commission, including David McNarry, and recently MP David Burnside admitted he was interviewed in the late 1970s about a job as a UDA PR officer.
Last summer, the then Secretary of State Dr John Reid sparked controversy when he met paramilitary members including Johnny Adair, who is now behind bars, and former UDA 'brigadier' for north Belfast Andre Shoukri, currently on bail on arms charges.
The Sunday Worldhas suffered a campaign of intimidation by loyalist paramilitaries spanning almost 20 years.
Former northern editor Jim Campbell survived a UVF murder bid in 1984, and fellow journalist Martin O'Hagan was shot dead by the LVF just yards from his Lurgan home in September 2001.
