MOSCOW, September 19 (RIA Novosti) - UK Prime Minister David Cameron welcomed Friday the results of the Scottish referendum that saw the victory of those voting against independence and "kept our country of four nations together."
"Now the debate has been settled for a generation" he said. "It is time to come together and move forward."
"We now have a chance to change the way British people are governed and change it for the better," the prime minister added.
Earlier on Friday, First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond has conceded defeat in a historic referendum and expressed his doubts as to whether Scotland would be able to go back to "business as usual" in politics.
"Our referendum was an agreed and consented process. Scotland has decided No at this stage to become and independent country and I accept that verdict," Salmond stated.
UK Prime Minister Vows to Deliver on Devolution in Next Parliament
After the results of the Scottish referendum were made public early on Friday, UK Prime Minister David Cameron vowed to deliver on broader devolution of power to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the next parliament.
“We have delivered on devolution under this government and we will do so again in the next parliament,” Cameron said adding that “the three [Scottish] pro-union parties have made commitments, clear commitments, on further powers for the Scottish parliament. We will ensure that those commitments are honored in full.”
“Just as the people of Scotland will have more power over their affairs, so it follows that the people of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland must have a bigger say over theirs. The rights of these voters need to be respected, preserved and enhanced.”
“It is absolutely right that a new and fair settlement for Scotland should be accompanied by a new and fair settlement that applies to all parts of our United Kingdom,” he said.
Cameron also announced that “Lord Smith of Kelvin, who so successfully led Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games, has agreed to oversee the process to take forward these devolution commitments with powers over tax, spending and welfare all agreed by November and draft legislation published by January.”
With the vote count over in 31 out of 32 Scottish regions early Friday, Scotland is projected to reject independence by a substantial margin of nearly ten percent.
According to the most recent results 55.42 percent of Scots voted against separation from the United Kingdom, while 44.58 percent voted in support of Scotland’s independence.
Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city, voted in favor of Scottish independence.
