‘Independent Scotland may have to reapply for world body memberships’
12 Feb 2013 6:35 AM IST
Scotland may have to reapply for membership of international organisations such as the UN and European Union if it secedes from the UK after a 2014 referendum, the British government said in legal advice published here on Monday.
‘If Scotland became independent, only the 'remainder of the UK' would automatically continue to exercise the same rights, obligations and powers under international law as the UK currently does, and would not have to renegotiate existing treaties or reapply for membership of international organisations,’ Downing Street said in a statement accompanying the legal opinion.
The status Scotland, if it secedes from the United Kingdom, has been a subject of debate since Scotlands First Minister, Alex Salmond, and British Prime Minister David Cameron signed a deal on the issue in October last year.
Cameron's office released the 57-page legal opinion from Professor James Crawford of Cambridge University and Professor Alan Boyle of Edinburgh University as a means to clear up uncertainty about the legal status of an independent Scotland. Downing Street also plans to publish information on other aspects of independence in the coming months, seen as a way of dissuading Scots from voting in favour of independence. If Scotland were to become a separate state, it might face entry criteria for the EU including signing up for the European single currency, Crawford and Boyle claim.
‘If Scotland became independent, only the 'remainder of the UK' would automatically continue to exercise the same rights, obligations and powers under international law as the UK currently does, and would not have to renegotiate existing treaties or reapply for membership of international organisations,’ Downing Street said in a statement accompanying the legal opinion.
The status Scotland, if it secedes from the United Kingdom, has been a subject of debate since Scotlands First Minister, Alex Salmond, and British Prime Minister David Cameron signed a deal on the issue in October last year.
Cameron's office released the 57-page legal opinion from Professor James Crawford of Cambridge University and Professor Alan Boyle of Edinburgh University as a means to clear up uncertainty about the legal status of an independent Scotland. Downing Street also plans to publish information on other aspects of independence in the coming months, seen as a way of dissuading Scots from voting in favour of independence. If Scotland were to become a separate state, it might face entry criteria for the EU including signing up for the European single currency, Crawford and Boyle claim.
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