LONDON
The Scottish first minister has lashed out at the Australian prime minister’s comments about the Scottish referendum calling them "foolish, hypocritical and offensive".
Australian Premier Tony Abbott had told The Times newspaper those who wanted independence and break-up of the United Kingdom were "not the friends of justice …. or freedom."
First Minister Alex Salmond reacted to his words on BBC Scotland: "Mr Abbott's comments are hypocritical because independence does not seem to have done Australia any harm."
The referendum on Scottish independence will be held September 18, threatening a union that has lasted for 305 years.
Abbott said earlier on Saturday: "What the Scots do is a matter for the Scots and not for a moment do I presume to tell Scottish voters which way they should vote.
"But as a friend of Britain, as an observer from afar, it's hard to see how the world would be helped by an independent Scotland.
"I think that the people who would like to see the break-up of the United Kingdom are not the friends of justice, the friends of freedom, and the countries that would cheer at the prospect... are not the countries whose company one would like to keep."
Salmond said Saturday that Abbott’s comments were "offensive" to the Scottish people.
"They are foolish, actually, because of the way he said it. To say the people of Scotland who supported independence weren't friends of freedom or justice, I mean, the independence process is about freedom and justice.
"If it does anything it will persuade people to vote yes because the natural reaction to this sort of nonsense is 'Who is Mr Abbott to lecture Scots on freedom and justice?'"
This is not the first time a foreign leader has made comments about the up-coming Scottish referendum. Last month, U.S. President Barack Obama said he had an interest in seeing the U.K. "united."
www.aa.com.tr/en
