The Alliance Party has reaffirmed its opposition to the appointment of an "nterlocutor" to engage with paramilitary organisations, stating that the only option for these groups, a generation on from the Good Friday Agreement, is to disband. Party Leader Naomi Long said that while the party is committed to seeing all paramilitary organisations disbanded, they do not believe this is the right approach. She has reiterated this position to the Secretary of State and the Irish Government. Ms Long believes the route to ending paramilitarism should be through more robust law enforcement and targeted community relations work to tackle the harms caused by these groups.

Ms Long said that governments engaging directly with illegal organisations risks giving them a "veneer of legitimacy." She added that the appointment of an interlocutor could undermine good work already being done to end paramilitarism and organised crime. She said the idea that paramilitary groups can transition into law-abiding entities is no longer credible.

She concluded by saying she cannot understand what is stopping these groups from disbanding now if they are "genuinely keen to do so." She believes there can be no negotiation or sweeteners involved, and it is easy to see how an interlocutor could give these groups a credibility they do not deserve.