British Prime Minister, David Cameron has met first face-to-face with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon promising to devolve more powers to Scotland

The meeting came a week after the last week’s general election, in which the Conservatives won an unexpected majority across the UK. The party was left with only one MP in Scotland however, with Ms Sturgeon’s SNP party taking all but three of the country’s 59 constituencies.

Prime Minister Cameron promised to review his party’s plans to give Holyrood powers over welfare and ensure they were in line with the Smith Commission’s findings. The Commission is a cross party review set up by the Prime Minister in the wake of the close independence referendum result. It published its recommendations in November.

Holyrood’s Devolution Committee said yesterday that the current plans to transfer more power north failed to meet both “the spirit or the substance” of the Smith Agreement.

Cameron said his government would “make sure it really is Smith” adding: “We’re going to look again at welfare and make sure the clauses reflect what that agreement was.”

“The First Minister wants to send some proposals for me to look at and I’m happy to examine proposals, there’s going to be a debate, of course there will be a debate.

“I don’t rule out making other changes if sensible suggestions are made.”

While Cameron appears open to considering further powers for Scotland, he said he did not believe a second independence referendum was “remotely on the cards”.

He spoke out after a senior source within the SNP was reported to have said it would be prepared to push ahead with plans for such a vote without the permission of the Prime Minister if necessary.

But the Conservative leader said: “I don’t think this is remotely on the cards, I tend to take at face value what Alex Salmond says on the record, rather than off the record.

“On the record, he said that this was a once-in-a-generation, potentially a once-in-a-lifetime, opportunity and I’m sticking with that.”

He spoke to journalists after having talks with Ms Sturgeon at her official residence of Bute House in Edinburgh.

Ms Sturgeon said the meeting was constructive and businesslike, adding: “Two things of significance were agreed at the meeting,” she said.

“Firstly, there was a commitment from the Prime Minister that the legislation that they will shortly introduce to the Westminster parliament to implement the proposals of the Smith Commission will implement those proposals in full.

“We had a report of a Scottish Parliament committee yesterday which said that where they have got to thus far doesn’t fully implement the Smith Commission proposals.

“So, there is a commitment to do that, and we will make sure that happens.

“Secondly, I have said we will put forward proposals for devolution further than the Smith Commission proposals.

“The Prime Minister has said they would consider those proposals.

“I am not going to put words in his mouth and say he has agreed any specific proposals, but there is an agreement to look at that and there will be a meeting with Deputy First Minister and the Secretary of State for Scotland to take that discussion forward.

“I want Scotland to have full fiscal autonomy, David Cameron doesn’t, but what we said in our manifesto was that there were priority powers over and above the Smith Commission that we wanted to see devolved.

“So, what we are talking about are business taxes and employment legislation, the minimum wage and more powers over welfare.”

Ms Sturgeon said she still advocates full fiscal autonomy despite the oil price crash which would leave Scotland with a large deficit.

“I recognise that even if there was an agreement to move to full fiscal autonomy, which there is not, that would take time to do,” she said.

“As a priority, I want to get our hands on the levers that really matter as quickly as possible.”

Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, who was also at the meeting, said today that the Scottish National Party will consider putting plans for another independence referendum in its election manifesto for Holyrood next year.

Ms Sturgeon said: “I said to him on the phone last Friday and I have said it to him again today, he has a choice to make about how he responds to how Scotland voted last week.

“He can act as if it is business as usual and nothing has changed, and people will draw their own conclusions from that.

“They will think that Westminster isn’t capable of listening or responding.

“Or he can prove that Westminster does listen, it does respond, it can deliver a better deal for Scotland.”

Cameron said he had had a “very positive meeting” with the SNP leader.

“I’ve always said I believe in the respect agenda, and I think coming to Scotland just over a week after the election result is the right thing to do,” he stated.

He confirmed he would meet his election pledge to include a bill on more powers for Holyrood in his first Queen’s Speech.

The Conservative leader said: “I made a commitment before the election, if I was the Prime Minister I would implement the Smith Commission report in full by introducing a Scotland Bill in the first Queen’s Speech and I can confirm that is exactly what I will do.

“It was an agreement made in Scotland for Scotland by the Scottish parties and I’ll make sure we implement every aspect of it.

“That will build a Scottish Parliament that doesn’t just look after the vital issues of health and education and those devolved matters, but it will give real power over taxation and spending, so if Scotland wants to take different decisions about how much money to spend, what taxes to raise, it will be able to do so, and I think that’s the right future for Scotland.”

The Scottish Parliament is already due to get some power over income tax in April 2016, as a result of changes to the devolution settlement made by the Tory-Liberal Democrat coalition government.

But the Smith Commission called for far greater powers over income tax to be handed over, along with some control over benefits and welfare north of the border.

Cameron stressed however that he did not support SNP demands for full fiscal autonomy, which would make the Scottish Parliament responsible for raising all the money it spends.

He said: “I don’t support full fiscal autonomy. I put it like this – Scotland has voted to stay part of the United Kingdom and I’m delighted about that. I think there are two potential futures, the future I would offer and I think many others would offer is a much stronger Scottish Parliament with these tax and spending powers and with the extra powers Smith talks about, but also with the solidarity of the United Kingdom.

“I want people in Scotland to know that the whole of the United Kingdom stands behind your pensions, stands behind unemployment benefit, will stand behind Scotland if it has a difficult year, if the oil price goes down.

“That’s what I believe in, the solidarity union as well as the United Kingdom that’s about defence and foreign affairs and all the institutions we have built together.

“I think the option of full fiscal autonomy is not a good option for Scotland inside the United Kingdom, I think it would land Scottish taxpayers with £7 billion of extra taxes or Scottish people with £7 billion of extra cuts.”

He continued: “I believe in the solidarity that’s at the heart of our United Kingdom.

“So it’s an honest disagreement between the First Minister and me about this, but we will deliver the stronger Scottish Parliament, be in no doubt about it.”

Cameron also said his Tory majority government had a mandate to press ahead with plans to withdraw from the Human Rights Act and to hold a referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union.

Both these could put his Westminster government on a collision course with the SNP administration at Holyrood.

Ms Sturgeon has said repealing the Human Rights Act is an “appalling thing to be doing” and has argued that Scotland should not be taken out of the EU against its wishes, even if a majority across the UK supports such a move.

On the issue of a European referendum Cameron said: “We put forward in a manifesto the clearest possible pledge of a renegotiation and an in/out referendum by the end of 2017.

“That manifesto has now been backed at a UK wide general election so I believe I have a mandate for that, rather in the same way that the SNP felt they had a mandate for their referendum.

“They didn’t give Orkney and Shetland an opt out, or the Borders an opt out, so this is a UK pledge, it will be delivered for the UK and it will be debated and discussed in Parliament after we publish the Queens Speech.”

He also insisted the Tories had made a “very clear manifesto promise” to scrap the Human Rights Act and establish a British Bill of Rights in its place and now had a “mandate for that promise”.

Cameron said: “Some people interpret this promise as being against human rights. It isn’t, it’s to have a British Bill of Rights written into UK law so these things can be adjudicated in British courts.”

He conceded there would have to be talks between Westminster and the Scottish and Welsh assemblies about how this would work, and stated: “There are some great complexities here but I’m sure it’s not beyond the wit of clever people to make this work.” [myad]

The African Union (AU) has condemned the coup attempt in Burundi that brought the former military intelligence officer, Major General Godefroid Niyombare to power, even as the United States of America made it clear that it would not support any form of military intervention in any country.
While AU in a statement by its Peace and Security Council today, called for dialogue to resolve the country’s political crisis, the US insisted that it still recognized Pierre Nkurunziza as the president of Burundi,
AU said that the council was meeting in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, to discuss attempts to oust Burundian President, Pierre Nkurunziza, whose quest for a third term has thrown the central African country into disarray.
There had been intensive fighting between forces loyal to President Pierre Nkurunziza and forces in support of the coup plot.
Although there had been an easy calm in Bujumbura, the capital city, reports said that majority of the Burundians celebrated at the announcement of the military takeover, a sign that Nkurunziza who has insisted on running for the third term is no longer wanted by his own people.
General Godefroid Niyombare, had  on Wednesday, May 13, 2015, announced the overthrow of President Pierre Nkurunziza.
The general cited weeks of violent protests against the president’s bid to stand for a third term as reason for the overthrow.
However, President Nkurunziza who was attending a summit in Tanzania to discuss his decision to run for a third term, said  that the attempted coup had “failed, in a message posted on Twitter.
Gen. Niyombareh had earlier told reporters that senior officers were “dismissing” President Nkurunziza, amid unrest over his re-election bid and that a national salvation committee had been set up to run the country.
General Niyombare, a powerful former intelligence chief, announced the coup attempt hours after the president left for neighbouring Tanzania for talks with regional leaders on ending the crisis.
A State Department spokesman of the United States of America, Jeff Rathke said today: “There are competing claims to authority, but we recognize President Nkurunziza as the legitimate president,”

[myad]

Former Burundian military intelligence officer, Major General Godefroid Niyombare has taken over the government after a military coup that overthrew President Nkurunziza even as the President adviser dismissed the coup as ‘a joke.’ The new military leader was quoted as saying tha he is working to form transitional government.

General Godefroid was said to have been removed as intelligence officer by the ousted President in February this year.

The coup came after weeks of widespread protests in Burundi as a result of the moved by the ousted President to go for a third term in office against the laws of the country.

The coup was announced in a radio broadcast by Godefroid at the time President. Nkurunziza is reportedly out of the country to neighboring Tanzania for a regional meeting of East African Community, EAC. The EAC meeting was called to discuss the protests in Burundi which was becoming violent.

“Forces Vives de the Nation have decided to take charge of the nation,” General Godefroid said.

President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term in office has sparked violent unrest that has left at least 20 people dead and forced more than 50,000 to flee the country.
Major General Godefroid Niyombare, who was fired by Nkurunziza as intelligence chief three months ago, told reporters at a military barracks in the capital, Bujumbura, that he was working with civil society groups, religious leaders and politicians to form a transitional government.
“Regarding President Nkurunziza’s arrogance and defiance of the international community, which advised him to respect the constitution and Arusha peace agreement, the committee for the establishment of the national concord decide President Nkurunziza is dismissed. His government is dismissed too,” he told Reuters. Niyombare’s remarks were later broadcast on local radio stations.
As news of his claim spread, thousands came on to the streets of Bujumbura to celebrate the coup attempt and police were reported to have left their posts – but it remained unclear if Niyombare had the backing of the army, which has acted as a buffer between police and protesters.
Nkurunziza’s official Twitter feed denied there had been a coup.
The claim of a coup was earlier dismissed as “a joke” by one of the president’s advisers.
Nkurunziza was scheduled to join other east African leaders from Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda at a special meeting in Tanzania’s capital, Dar es Salaam, on Wednesday to discuss the unrest.
Hundreds of civilians marched towards state radio and television stations on Wednesday, and the influential African Public Radio – which has been shut down at the start of the protests – was back on air.
Troops surrounded the national radio station, but it was not immediately clear to whom they were loyal.
“Don’t shoot at civilians. Shoot in the air. Shoot at military targets, not civilians. We have to protect the state TV and radio,” an army colonel was heard ordering soldiers protecting the facility.
Earlier, police fired tear gas and water cannon to repulse protesters trying to enter the central business district in Bujumbura. One police officer fired on demonstrators. The number of casualties, if any, is unknown.
The South African government said it was monitoring the situation in Burundi closely and added that it was too soon to say whether a coup had taken place.
The protests began on 25 April after the ruling party nominated Nkurunziza to run for re-election in a vote due next month. His opponents argue the move is a clear violation of the constitution, which limits a president to two terms in office.
The violence has plunged Burundi into its worst crisis since the end of its 12-year civil war in 2006. That conflict, between ethnic Tutsis and Hutus, left around 300,000 people dead.
Nkurunziza, a former rebel leader from the Hutu majority, has so far defied international pressure to withdraw from the election. A constitutional court has ruled that the president can run because his first term – for which he was picked by parliament rather than elected by popular vote – does not count. Critics say the court is biased.
The crackdown on protests has drawn rebukes from many of the western nations that provide the aid on which Burundi relies for half its budget. European states are the biggest contributors, while the US provides support to the army.
Dawn Liberi, the US ambassador to Burundi, told a meeting of the government and diplomats on Monday: “We call for an immediate end to the use of violent force by police against peaceful protests and the political intimidation, threats and violence by all armed militia.”
The US has said it is worried about reports that the Imbonerakure, the youth wing of Nkurunziza’s CNDD-FDD party, had been armed, an allegation the government denies.
The EU is withholding €2m (£1.4m) of aid to Burundi amid increasing concern over the government’s violent crackdown. The EU envoy to Africa’s Great Lakes region, Koen Vervaeke, said the union had disbursed €6m of the €8m designated for elections, but had decided to withhold the rest until Nkurunziza heeded calls for a transparent poll.
“Today it is out of the question to release the €2m unless conditions for a free, peaceful and credible election are secured,” he told a news conference in Bujumbura on Monday.
Belgium, Burundi’s former colonial power, has announced a suspension of electoral aid, opting to withhold half of the €4m it had set aside for the polls, and said it would pull out of a €5m police cooperation deal funded jointly with the Netherlands. Police in Burundi have been accused of using live rounds on protesters, as well as teargas and water cannon – a charge they deny.
On Monday the Burundian foreign minister, Laurent Kavakure, said the government was already taking steps to improve the situation, adding: “We are determined to create the conditions for free, transparent and peaceful elections.”
More than 50,000 people have fled Burundi since early April, at least half of whom have gone to Rwanda, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. Almost 18,000 have fled to Tanzania and 8,000 to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Some of the refugees now arriving in Rwanda say they are running from the Imbonerakure.
“The Imbonerakure came to our neighbourhood to say that those who were against the third term of President Nkurunziza were going to die. That’s why I left,” Eric Ahishakiye, a 23-year-old mechanic said. [myad]