New govt seeks quick EU deal; Scottish nationalists want second referendum

Britain wants to reach a new settlement with the European Union as fast as possible, according to Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, the Financial Times reported on Friday.

Prime Minister David Cameron, who won an outright majority in a general election last week, has pledged to renegotiate Britain's ties with Europe before giving voters an in-or-out referendum on EU membership by the end of 2017.

Separately, another newspaper said on Friday that Scottish nationalists may defy Cameron if he refuses to give them another independence referendum, according to an unidentified Scottish National Party source.

Hammond, speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Turkey, made clear that change to the bloc's founding treaties, which is opposed by some EU leaders, was not, in itself, a political goal for his Conservative government.

He said the timing of the renegotiations would depend "entirely on our partners", the FT reported.

"If they enthusiastically embrace the agenda, ... we would move as fast as possible," Hammond said.

Meanwhile, spectacular gains by Scottish nationalists in last week's general election have stoked calls among supporters of a breakaway for a second independence vote. Scots voted 55-45 percent to reject independence in a Sept 18 referendum last year.

Cameron ruled out that option on Sunday, but Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon has said Cameron does not have the right to refuse a vote.

The Times and the Guardian newspapers quoted an unidentified senior SNP source in London as saying that the party would be prepared hold an indicative ballot of the Scottish people if it thought it had a political mandate for a referendum.

(China Daily 05/16/2015 page12)