EDINBURGH, Scotland, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond laid out a timetable Wednesday that would make Scotland a fully independent country by 2016.
In a position paper, Salmond said a referendum should be held in 2014, The Daily Telegraph reported. If Scottish voters support independence, the referendum would be followed by negotiations over Scotland's share of the British national debt and of the armed forces and a "transitional period" to prepare for complete separation in 2016.
Scotland and England have had a single head of state since King James VI of Scotland succeeded Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1603. They were joined in the United Kingdom in 1707.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has called for a quick referendum with an up-or-down vote on independence. Salmond, head of the Scottish National Party, wants to include a third option, known as "devo max," that would give the Scottish government full taxing powers while allowing the country to maintain its ties to England.
