LEAD: Scotland to hold independence referendum in 2014

Jan 10, 2012, 20:37 GMT

London - Scotland plans to hold a referendum on independence in autumn 2014, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said late Tuesday.

'Following today's cabinet meeting FM (First Minister Alex Salmond) announces that preferred date for independence referendum is autumn 2014,' she said via Twitter.

The Scottish National Party, headed by Salmond, who has been at the head of demands for Scottish independence, won a landslide victory in Scottish parliamentary elections in May.

The 2014 date would allow Scots to make a 'considered' decision on their future within the United Kingdom, 'the biggest decision Scotland has made for 300 years,' Salmond told the BBC.

The government in Westminster should 'resist the temptation' to interfere in Scottish politics, he added.

'Let the common sense, the good judgment of the Scottish Parliament and above all the view of the Scottish people prevail at the end of the day,' he said.

Meanwhile, the British government said the Scottish government could not authorize a referendum on its own. However, it also said it was prepared to devolve the authority for it to do so.

'It's in everyone's interests that the two governments take on board the needs of Scotland and the views of its people, work together and deliver the legal, fair and decisive referendum that is in our common interests,' Scottish Secretary Michael Moore told the Parliament in Westminster.

'This government is clear that independence is not in the interests of Scotland,' he added. 'The United Kingdom brings strength to Scotland, Scotland brings strength to the United Kingdom.'

The British government had on Monday attempted to force the pace on the referendum by suggesting that any such move should happen within 18 months.

An early vote before the middle of 2013 would be more likely to produce a Scottish rejection of the proposals.

Critics of Scottish independence say it could mark the beginning of the break-up of the United Kingdom, which also includes the regions of Wales and Northern Ireland.

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