NATO makes no membership guarantees for independent Scotland
NATO will not guarantee automatic membership to Scotland if it becomes an independent nation. The news comes in response to a pro-independence party’s drive to secure a spot in the alliance while dumping its nuclear arsenal.
Optimistic expectations for Scotland’s NATO membership were initially voiced Tuesday by Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland. He said an independent Scotland, which he hopes to see after a referendum next year, would be an active member of the North-Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), but would refuse to host Britain’s nuclear weapons, particularly the submarine-launched Trident missiles.
"You have to come to agreement with your colleagues, and in that sense there is a parallel with the European Union – you notify your intent to remain a member," Salmond told BBC. "We are a member by virtue of our membership of the United Kingdom, and we notify in that period between the referendum, and a successful vote, and the adoption of Scottish independence about 18 months later."
In response to a request for the alliance’s position on the issue, NATO said its ruling council had not discussed Scottish membership, but expressed skepticism over the scenario Salmond outlined: "It appears widely agreed that, as a matter of law, a Scotland which has declared its independence and thereby established its separate statehood would be viewed as a new state,” it said in a written statement.
http://rt.com/news/independent-scotland-nato-membership-684/
