(123rf)
Britain's prime minister and Scotland's first minister signed an agreement on Monday to hold a referendum in 2014 on Scottish independence that could lead to the United Kingdom breaking up after 300 years.
Prime Minister David Cameron and pro-independence First Minister Alex Salmond inked the deal and shook hands in cold autumn sunlight after a meeting at the Scottish government building, St Andrews House, in Edinburgh.
Cameron strongly opposes a Scottish breakaway, and the signing of the terms for the vote fires the starting gun on two years of campaigning which puts the leaders on opposing sides.
After months of negotiations, the deal clears the way for Scotland's administration to hold the vote in the last quarter of 2014, offering Scots a straight yes-no question on leaving the United Kingdom.
Securing the vote was a victory for veteran politician Salmond, who has spent his political career backing the idea of an independent Scotland, but he faces an uphill battle to bring a majority of Scots around to his view.
He told reporters after the signing: "I'm delighted to say that the Edinburgh agreement... paves the way for the most important decision Scotland has made in several hundred years.
"I believe that independence will win this campaign. I believe we'll win it by setting out a better future for our country," he said.
His Scottish National Party (SNP), the majority party in Edinburgh's devolved parliament, must fight against a "No" campaign from all three big parties in the British parliament: Cameron's Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and Labour.
Cameron said: "This is an important day for our United Kingdom, but you can't hold a country in the United Kingdom against the will of its people.
"Scotland voted for a party that wanted to hold a referendum. I believe in showing respect. This is the right outcome for Scotland and for the United Kingdom to give the people the choice.
"But I passionately hope and believe that they will vote to keep the United Kingdom together. We are better off together, we are stronger together, we are safer together."
A survey by ComRes for ITV News released on Monday showed 34 percent of Scots and 29 percent of Britons in favor while other polls have shown similar results.
But Salmond urged pundits not to write him off too soon, citing his party's surprise election victory in May 2011, which gave it a parliamentary majority and opened the door for the referendum.
"We turned a substantial opinion poll deficit into a substantial election victory. We did that by winning the arguments," he said.
"We intend to win the argument for independence."
The SNP had pressed for the 2014 date, giving them time to try to win over voters and coinciding with the anniversary of the 1314 Battle of Bannockburn, a famous Scots victory over the English.
The vote is to break new ground by including 16 and 17-year-olds, a move favored by Salmond's side, but in a concession to the British government the ballot paper will not offer a third option of increased devolution.
The SNP says Scotland -- with a population of five million -- should be able to run its own foreign, economic and defence policies, and plans to set out fuller terms of the proposed separation within a year.
The devolved Scottish government currently has powers over areas such as health and education, as well as a separate legal system.
Salmond wants to retain the sterling currency and the British monarch as head of state, but big questions remain such as the fate of revenues from North Sea oil reserves and the debt incurred by Royal Bank of Scotland's state bailout.
An independent Scotland would hold its first parliamentary elections in 2016 and then draft a written constitution, Salmond said.
He added he was "interested and informed" by parallels elsewhere in Europe, such as the Spanish region of Catalonia, where a drive for self-determination has gathered momentum amid the economic crisis.
Salmond was questioned Monday on another sensitive point -- the sense of unity which led Scots athletes including tennis ace Andy Murray and cyclist Chris Hoy to wrap themselves in the Union Jack flag when they won Olympic gold medals in London.
"We're not in the business of ripping things up," he insisted.
"We're in the business of creating a new relationship between the people of these islands." (AFP)
<관련 한글 기사>
영국연방 UK는 끝내 해체될까? 잉글랜드 수상과 스코틀랜드 국무총리가 현지시각 월요일 향후 영국연방(Great Britain) 해체의 실마리가 될 스코틀랜드의 독립을 의결하는 국민투표를 승인했다.
스코틀랜드의 분리에 반대해온 잉글랜드 수상 데이빗 카메론은 스코틀랜드 국무총리 알렉스 샐몬드와 에딘버러 궁에서 합의를 체결해 앞으로 2년 후 이뤄질 국민투표를 위한 선거운동의 서막을 알리게 됐다.
지난 수 개월간의 협상 끝에 잉글랜드는 스코틀랜드 정부에게 영국연방을 떠날 것인지의 여부를 묻는 국민투표를 오는 2014년 가을에 실시할 권한을 부여할 예정이다.
데이빗 카메론 수상이 이끄는 잉글랜드 보수당은 자유민주당 연합, 노동당과 연합해 유권자들에게 스코틀랜드의 영국연방 잔류를 설득할 예정이다.
2년간 이어질 마라톤 선거운동에서 잉글랜드 진영은 독립에 찬성하는 알렉스 샐몬드 국무총리가 이끄는 에딘버러 국회 다수당 스코틀랜드 국민당(Scottish National Party)과 경합하게 된다.
스코틀랜드의 독립을 지지하는 선거운동은 제임스본드로 유명한 영화배우 숀 코너리 등 인사들의 지지를 받고 있기는 하지만, 지난 10월 8일 설문조사 결과 불과 28퍼센트만이 독립을 지지하는 것으로 나타났다.
샐몬드 국무총리는 지난 5월 연방에서의 독립을 주장하면서 “(이러한 주장은) 스코틀랜드가 다른 나라보다 우월해서가 아니라, 다른 나라만큼 훌륭한 나라라고 확신하기 때문이다.”고 말한 바 있다.
스코틀랜드 국민당은 스코틀랜드가 영국연방에서 독립하더라도 유럽연합에는 계속해서 소속되기를 바라고 있으며 스코틀랜드에서 진행중인 영국연방의 핵무기 계획에는 반대하는 입장을 갖고 있다.
잉글랜드와 스코틀랜드는 지난 1707년 조약을 통해 합병했으며, 스코틀랜드, 웨일즈, 북아일랜드와 더불어 영국연방을 이루고 있다. (코리아헤럴드)
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
