George
Robertson, the former Secretary General of NATO and Chairman of the
North Atlantic Council has today commented on the announcement by NATO
that an independent Scotland would have to apply to join.
Statement by Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, former Secretary General of NATO and Chairman of the North Atlantic Council.
...
“ Now that NATO have made it clear that a separate Scottish state will
have to apply for NATO membership there is a huge dilemma for the SNP.
“Any state applying for NATO membership has to accept NATO’s Strategic
Concept agreed unanimously in 2012 at the Chicago Summit. This states
quite explicitly that NATO is a nuclear alliance. It says “As long as
nuclear weapons exist, NATO will remain a nuclear alliance.” All members
of NATO, including Norway and Canada, accept this statement.
“Does the SNP accept this unambiguous acceptance of the nuclear umbrella?
“I supervised the entry of seven new members to NATO in 2002 and every one of them had to accept the Strategic Concept.
“If the SNP cannot accept the NATO Strategic Concept then it will simply not get in.
“The Strategic Concept has other deep problems for an SNP government.
It goes on to say this;
“The supreme guarantee of the security of the Allies is provided by the
strategic nuclear forces of the Alliance, particularly of the United
States; the independent strategic nuclear forces of the United Kingdom
and France, which have a deterrent role of their own, contribute to the
overall deterrence and security of the Allies”.
“Can the SNP,
and its rank and file membership, swallow this unavoidable obligation?
And where does the immediate expulsion of the Trident fleet from
Scotland fit in this condition.
The Concept further says this
“We will ensure that NATO has the full range of capabilities necessary
to deter and defend against any threat to the safety and security of our
populations. Therefore we will maintain an appropriate mix of nuclear
and conventional forces.”
“Acceptance of the nuclear role in
NATO is a fundamental part of NATO’s strategy and no country can be a
member of NATO without accepting that responsibility.
“Either
the SNP accept the central nuclear role of NATO, and show that they will
shed any principle to buy votes for separatism, or they reject the
nuclear role of NATO and ensure that a separate Scottish state stays out
of the world’s most successful defence alliance.”See more
George
Robertson, the former Secretary General of NATO and Chairman of the
North Atlantic Council has today commented on the announcement by NATO
that an independent Scotland would have to apply to join.
Statement by Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, former Secretary General of NATO and Chairman of the North Atlantic Council.
... “ Now that NATO have made it clear that a separate Scottish state will have to apply for NATO membership there is a huge dilemma for the SNP.
“Any state applying for NATO membership has to accept NATO’s Strategic Concept agreed unanimously in 2012 at the Chicago Summit. This states quite explicitly that NATO is a nuclear alliance. It says “As long as nuclear weapons exist, NATO will remain a nuclear alliance.” All members of NATO, including Norway and Canada, accept this statement.
“Does the SNP accept this unambiguous acceptance of the nuclear umbrella?
“I supervised the entry of seven new members to NATO in 2002 and every one of them had to accept the Strategic Concept.
“If the SNP cannot accept the NATO Strategic Concept then it will simply not get in.
“The Strategic Concept has other deep problems for an SNP government.
It goes on to say this;
“The supreme guarantee of the security of the Allies is provided by the strategic nuclear forces of the Alliance, particularly of the United States; the independent strategic nuclear forces of the United Kingdom and France, which have a deterrent role of their own, contribute to the overall deterrence and security of the Allies”.
“Can the SNP, and its rank and file membership, swallow this unavoidable obligation? And where does the immediate expulsion of the Trident fleet from Scotland fit in this condition.
The Concept further says this
“We will ensure that NATO has the full range of capabilities necessary to deter and defend against any threat to the safety and security of our populations. Therefore we will maintain an appropriate mix of nuclear and conventional forces.”
“Acceptance of the nuclear role in NATO is a fundamental part of NATO’s strategy and no country can be a member of NATO without accepting that responsibility.
“Either the SNP accept the central nuclear role of NATO, and show that they will shed any principle to buy votes for separatism, or they reject the nuclear role of NATO and ensure that a separate Scottish state stays out of the world’s most successful defence alliance.”See more
Statement by Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, former Secretary General of NATO and Chairman of the North Atlantic Council.
... “ Now that NATO have made it clear that a separate Scottish state will have to apply for NATO membership there is a huge dilemma for the SNP.
“Any state applying for NATO membership has to accept NATO’s Strategic Concept agreed unanimously in 2012 at the Chicago Summit. This states quite explicitly that NATO is a nuclear alliance. It says “As long as nuclear weapons exist, NATO will remain a nuclear alliance.” All members of NATO, including Norway and Canada, accept this statement.
“Does the SNP accept this unambiguous acceptance of the nuclear umbrella?
“I supervised the entry of seven new members to NATO in 2002 and every one of them had to accept the Strategic Concept.
“If the SNP cannot accept the NATO Strategic Concept then it will simply not get in.
“The Strategic Concept has other deep problems for an SNP government.
It goes on to say this;
“The supreme guarantee of the security of the Allies is provided by the strategic nuclear forces of the Alliance, particularly of the United States; the independent strategic nuclear forces of the United Kingdom and France, which have a deterrent role of their own, contribute to the overall deterrence and security of the Allies”.
“Can the SNP, and its rank and file membership, swallow this unavoidable obligation? And where does the immediate expulsion of the Trident fleet from Scotland fit in this condition.
The Concept further says this
“We will ensure that NATO has the full range of capabilities necessary to deter and defend against any threat to the safety and security of our populations. Therefore we will maintain an appropriate mix of nuclear and conventional forces.”
“Acceptance of the nuclear role in NATO is a fundamental part of NATO’s strategy and no country can be a member of NATO without accepting that responsibility.
“Either the SNP accept the central nuclear role of NATO, and show that they will shed any principle to buy votes for separatism, or they reject the nuclear role of NATO and ensure that a separate Scottish state stays out of the world’s most successful defence alliance.”See more
3 hours ago
