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A8 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 15 March 2017

Scottish leader to UK premier: Don’t block independence vote

JILL LAWLESS against trying to block a
Associated Press referendum. The first min-
LONDON (AP) — The Brit- ister said “the referendum
ish and Scottish leaders must be for Scotland’s na-
traded barbs Tuesday over tional legislature to shape.”
Scotland’s desire to hold “It should be up to the
a vote on independence Scottish Parliament to de-
just as the U.K. is negotiat- termine the referendum’s
ing its exit from the Europe- timing, franchise and the
an Union. question,” Sturgeon said.
Scottish First Minister Nicola She plans to ask the Edin-
Sturgeon says she intends burgh-based legislature
to ask voters in late 2018 next week for the authority
or early 2019 whether they to seek a new referendum.
want to leave the United In a dig at May, Sturgeon
Kingdom. tweeted that she had been
Britain decided in a 2016 elected “on a clear mani-
referendum to quit the festo commitment” by her
European Union after four Scottish National Party to
decades of membership, hold a referendum. She
but Scots voted strongly added: “The PM is not yet
to remain. Sturgeon says Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, center, gestures as she sits with Lord Advocate James elected by anyone.”
Scotland must not be “tak- Wolffe, left, Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans and Deputy First Minister John Swinney, right, dur- May took office through an
en down a path that we ing a Scottish Government cabinet meeting in Bute House, Edinburgh, Scotland Tuesday March internal Conservative Party
do not want to go down 14, 2017. Sturgeon announced this week plans for a fresh referendum on Scottish independence process when predecessor
without a choice.” before Britain finally leaves the EU. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP) David Cameron resigned
The British government after failing to convince
must agree before Scot- pendence vote, accusing play politics or create un- er, to honor the will of the voters to back remaining in
land can hold a legally the Scottish leader of sow- certainty,” May told law- British people and to shape the EU. Critics accuse May
binding referendum, and ing uncertainty and divi- makers in the House of for them a better, brighter of lacking a strong popu-
May condemned Stur- sion. Commons. “It is a moment future and a better Britain.” lar mandate because she
geon’s push for an inde- “This is not a moment to to bring our country togeth- Sturgeon warned May has not won an election as
prime minister.
Turkey’s Erdogan renews war of words on Netherlands In a 2014 referendum,
Scottish voters rejected in-
dependence by a margin
SUZAN FRASER In a televised speech, Er- ica massacre. We know It was the latest in Erdo- of 55 percent to 45 per-
Associated Press dogan referred to the mas- how rotten their character gan’s war of words on the cent. But Sturgeon said
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — sacre of some 8,000 Muslim is from their massacre of Netherlands, which pre- the U.K.’s decision to leave
Turkish President Recep men and boys in Srebreni- 8,000 Bosnians there.” vented two Turkish ministers the EU had brought about
Tayyip Erdogan on Tues- ca, eastern Bosnia, in 1995, Dutch Prime Minister Mark from holding campaign ral- a “material change of cir-
day directed fresh verbal and blamed a Dutch bat- Rutte condemned Erdo- lies in the country over the cumstances.”
attacks at the Netherlands talion of United Nations gan’s comments, calling weekend. The two ministers Sturgeon wants to put the
amid their growing diplo- peacekeepers who failed them a “disgusting distor- had sought to campaign independence question
matic spat, to halt the slaughter by Bos- tion of history.” for an April 16 referen- to Scottish voters before
holding the country re- nian Serb forces. “We will not lower ourselves dum on expanding Erdo- Britain completes its with-
sponsible for Europe’s worst Erdogan said: “We know to this level. It is totally un- gan’s powers, courting the drawal from the EU, which
mass killing since World War the Netherlands and the acceptable,” Rutte told votes of eligible Turks in the will likely be in the first half
II. Dutch from the Srebren- Dutch broadcaster RTL Z. Netherlands.q of 2019. q