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Scottish independence: William Hague to unveil Scotland EU analysis Scottish independence: William Hague joins Scots-EU debate
(about 9 hours later)
The war of words between the governments in London and Edinburgh over an independent Scotland's place in the world is set to intensify. Foreign Secretary William Hague has said an independent Scottish state may not be able to negotiate the same terms of EU membership as the UK.
Foreign Secretary William Hague is to unveil the latest in a series of papers produced by the UK government ahead of September's referendum. Mr Hague is in Glasgow to unveil the latest UK government paper.
The document will claim Scotland benefits from the UK's place in the EU and the international community. He told BBC Scotland, people "should be in no doubt" that if Scotland left the UK it would have to reapply for European Union membership.
The Scottish government has posed its own questions for Mr Hague. First Minister Alex Salmond has argued Scotland's membership of the EU would be negotiated "from within".
Mr Hague will be in Glasgow alongside Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander to argue that an independent Scottish state may not be able to negotiate the same terms of EU membership as the UK. He has stated that the terms of Scotland's membership would be negotiated during the period between a Yes vote in September this year and independence day in March 2016.
His document points out that all 28 member states would have to agree on them. The first minister said that the EU would be keen to keep Scotland as a member and it would be open to discussions on matters such as the single currency.
'Strong voice' Hold a referendum
The paper, Scotland Analysis: EU and International, claims: "The UK uses its influence within the EU to Scotland's advantage on a whole host of issues of particular interest to people and businesses in Scotland, such as budget contributions, fisheries, agricultural subsidies and Structural Funds. Mr Hague told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme that even if the European negotiations were "constructively-minded" it would still be a complicated process involving the agreement of all 28 EU member states.
"Scotland benefits from this and from the UK's strong voice in Europe, where it contributes to and participates in discussions and negotiations from its position within the UK. The foreign secretary said Scotland would be obliged to join the Euro single currency, which the Scottish government had said it would not do.
"By contrast, since an independent Scottish state would be a new state, it would have to go through some form of accession process to become a member of the EU, which would involve negotiations on the precise terms of its membership. He said Scotland would also need to sign the Schengen agreement on border controls, which is "incompatible" with the Common Travel Area plans put forward by the Scottish government.
"It cannot be assumed that Scotland would be able to negotiate the favourable terms of EU membership which the UK enjoys." Mr Hague further claimed that Scotland would lose out on cash from the rebate which the UK gets from the EU.
First Minister Alex Salmond has argued Scotland's membership of the EU would be negotiated "from within". He has also argued an independent Scottish state would not have to join the euro. The Conservative minister said his own party's plans to hold a referendum on EU membership if it was to win next year's UK general election were not an immediate threat.
The UK government's document states: "The Scottish government's stated intention to retain the pound and join the Common Travel Area (CTA) is at odds with the EU's long established conditions of EU accession, and is not in the Scottish government's gift. He said: "I think it is a more immediately, dramatically uncertain world if Scotland were to vote to separate itself from the UK this coming year because what we are trying to achieve by 2017 is a reformed EU that we can recommend the whole of the UK stays in.
"It would have to convince all 28 EU Member States to grant unanimous approval to change these conditions." "Scotland in effect is going to have two referendums on whether to leave the EU and one of them is in September.
But Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon accused the UK government of acting against Scotland's interests. "People should be in no doubt, if part of a member state leaves the EU it has to reapply for membership and that will be a process of uncertain length and unknown outcome in terms of the terms that are negotiated and probably great cost. It means paying more to get less from the EU."
'Driven by fear' Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon accused the UK government of acting against Scotland's interests.
In a letter to Mr Hague, she wrote: "Regardless of the outcome of the referendum on September 18, people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will always be Scotland's closest friends and neighbours.In a letter to Mr Hague, she wrote: "Regardless of the outcome of the referendum on September 18, people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will always be Scotland's closest friends and neighbours.
"I also have no doubt that, in the event of a Yes vote, governments of an independent Scotland will work extremely closely with future Westminster governments."I also have no doubt that, in the event of a Yes vote, governments of an independent Scotland will work extremely closely with future Westminster governments.
"In European, international, defence and a range of other matters, our interests will often coincide and we will be able to work together constructively.""In European, international, defence and a range of other matters, our interests will often coincide and we will be able to work together constructively."
She went on to accuse Conservative politicians of putting the UK's membership of the EU in doubt, "driven by a fear of UKIP which does not exist in Scotland".She went on to accuse Conservative politicians of putting the UK's membership of the EU in doubt, "driven by a fear of UKIP which does not exist in Scotland".
The deputy first minister also renewed her call for Prime Minister David Cameron to debate with Mr Salmond ahead of the referendum.The deputy first minister also renewed her call for Prime Minister David Cameron to debate with Mr Salmond ahead of the referendum.
"The prime minister has insisted he will not take part in a debate with the first minister because, he says, it is a matter for voters in Scotland and not him or his government," she wrote."The prime minister has insisted he will not take part in a debate with the first minister because, he says, it is a matter for voters in Scotland and not him or his government," she wrote.
"This position is increasingly hard to sustain given the succession of Westminster ministers continuing to make day trips to Scotland to oppose independence.""This position is increasingly hard to sustain given the succession of Westminster ministers continuing to make day trips to Scotland to oppose independence."