Australian PM warning over Yes vote

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 16 Agustus 2014 | 19.21

16 August 2014 Last updated at 11:15

The Australian PM has said it is "hard to see how the world would be helped by an independent Scotland".

Tony Abbott told the Times, while visiting London, those who would like to see the UK break up were "not the friends of justice... [or] freedom", .

He said the nations who would "cheer" the prospect were "not the countries whose company one would like to keep".

A spokesman for Yes Scotland said: "Independence seems to be working well for Australia."

Voters in Scotland will go to the polls on 18 September.

They will be asked the "Yes/No" question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?"

The Scottish government believes the 300-year-old Union is no longer fit for purpose, but the UK government opposes the move, saying Britain is one of the world's most successful unions.

'Most outspoken'

Mr Abbott told the Times: "What the Scots do is a matter for the Scots and not for a moment do I presume to tell Scottish voters which way they should vote.

"But as a friend of Britain, as an observer from afar, it's hard to see how the world would be helped by an independent Scotland.

"I think that the people who would like to see the break-up of the United Kingdom are not the friends of justice, the friends of freedom, and the countries that would cheer at the prospect... are not the countries whose company one would like to keep."

A spokesman for Yes Scotland, which is campaigning for independence, said: "These comments have echoes of Lord George Robertson's "forces of darkness" speech in April which was widely ridiculed, even by No supporters, as one of the anti-independence campaign's most outlandish scare stories.

"The decision about Scotland's future is one for the people of Scotland to make - a point that even David Cameron asserts. After a Yes vote, Scotland will take her place as a normal and valued member of the international community - just as Australia did when she gained independence at the turn of the century."

A spokesman for Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said: "Tony Abbott has a reputation for gaffes, but his bewildering comments have all the hallmarks of one of the Westminster government's international briefings against Scotland."

He added: "Scotland's referendum is a model of democracy, which has been cited as such internationally, including by the US Secretary of State. An independent Scotland will be a beacon for fairness, justice and cooperation in the international community - and a great friend of Australia."

US President Barack Obama and Chinese premier Li Keqiang have previously voiced support for the UK.

Mr Obama said last month that the US had a "deep interest in making sure that one of the closest allies we will ever have remains a strong, robust, united and effective partner", while Mr Li said he wanted to see a "united United Kingdom" on a visit to Downing Street.

BBC Scotland political correspondent Glenn Campbell said Mr Abbott's comments were the most outspoken of any international leader on the forthcoming referendum.

Mr Abbott also held talks with Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond on the subject of the Ukraine crisis and the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 during his visit earlier this week.

Phil Mercer, BBC News, Sydney, Australia

It could be part of Australia's efforts to flex its diplomatic muscle.

Australia is now a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and it seems to be asserting its new role as an influential middle power.

It was able, for example, to secure safe passage to eastern Ukraine for Dutch, Australian and Malaysian investigators following the shooting down of MH17.

Mr Abbott, after the plane went down, really did lead the international charge in accusing the Russians of probably giving the rebels that sort of sophisticated weaponry.

So in recent weeks we have seen Australia flexing those diplomatic muscles and this fits in with Mr Abbott's comments today.

I would imagine that many Australians will regard Mr Abbott as trying to meddle in another country's affairs. There was a caveat to his comments in the Times, he said that what the people of Scotland do is a matter for them and he did say that he didn't presume to tell people how to vote.

It is not the first time that the prime minister of Australia has courted controversy in recent times.


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