Inmates Freed for Holidays in Move Backing N. Ireland Pact

Every convicted terrorist imprisoned in Northern Ireland went home for the holidays Thursday, thanks to the British government’s latest initiative to support the 1998 Good Friday peace accord.

The 139 prisoners walked free from the Maze prison southwest of Belfast to the cheers and tears of their waiting friends and relatives. The prisoners include members of the outlawed Irish Republican Army and the province’s outlawed pro-British groups, the Ulster Defense Assn. and Ulster Volunteer Force.

British authorities expect them to return voluntarily to the prison by Jan. 4 to finish out their sentences. The prisoners are supposed to win permanent paroles by July in accordance with the peace accord of 1998 that outlined a power-sharing government for the province.

More than 300 inmates from the outlawed groups already have been permanently freed from the Maze because they have served at least a third of their original sentences, the requirement set out in the accord.

Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson, the British government minister responsible for Thursday’s releases, said he now expects the three outlawed organizations to begin disarming soon.

All three groups opened negotiations this month with a commission based in Belfast, the provincial capital, that aims to secure their total disarmament by May.