Constitution ‘to ban nuclear weapons’

A written constitution for an independent Scotland should explicitly ban nuclear weapons from the country, Alex Salmond said yesterday.

The SNP said such a move would reinforce the party’s “complete opposition” to Trident nuclear weapons in Scotland.

The proposal was unveiled as nationalists prepared to debate plans to abandon their historic opposition to keeping Nato membership after a vote for independence.

Mr Salmond, the first minister and SNP leader, said opposition to Trident should be enshrined in a written constitution if Scotland votes“Yes” toindependence in 2014.

He said: “The SNP government will be bringing forward a white paper on independence which proposes a written constitution for an independent Scotland, and that constitution will have to be ratified by the Scottish Parliament elected in 2016.

“The SNP position on this is that the constitution should include an explicit ban on nuclear weapons being basedonScottish territory. This reinforces the SNP’s unshakeable opposition to nuclear weapons.

“The resolution to be debated at conference does make anindependent Scotland’s membership of Nato conditional on the acceptance of Scotland’s non-nuclear status, in line with the vast majority of current Nato members.”

“The constitution should include an explicit ban on nuclearweapons”

The SNP will debate the change of tack at its conference later this month.

Members of the No To Nato Scotland Coalition welcomed Mr Salmond’s plans for the written constitution, but called on the SNP leadership to “follow the logic of that principled stance” andrejectmembership of the military alliance.

Leonna O’Nei l l , of Faslane Peace Camp, said: “An independent Scotland will gain nothing from Nato membership other than repeated moral concessions and military demands.”