Row over Salmond's nuclear letter

Mr Stephen accused the first minister of writing to dictatorships

The first minister has been accused of writing to some of the world's most "vilified and dangerous regimes" in his bid to rid Scotland of nuclear weapons.

Alex Salmond contacted 189 countries stating Scotland's opposition to replacing Trident.

Lib Dem leader Nicol Stephen attacked him for writing to regimes such as Zimbabwe, Iran and Burma.

Mr Salmond said he included all countries signed up to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

In his letter he also asked them to support a request for Scotland to be given observer status at future meetings related to the NPT.

The Lib Dem leader challenged Mr Salmond on the issue at First Minister's Questions in the Scottish Parliament.

"Did a shiver run up his spine as he signed letters to the governments of some of the most despotic, repressive, undemocratic, villainous regimes in the world, Iran, Burma and Zimbabwe?" Mr Stephen asked.

Is there any regime, dictatorship or one-party state that he won't beg to help in the cause of Scottish independence Nicol Stephen Scottish Lib Dem leader

"The first minister often talks about an arc of prosperity, but he has just written letters of an arc of repression."

He said Mr Salmond was "obsessed with getting a seat in the ante room at the United Nations".

And he asked: "Is there any regime, dictatorship or one-party state that he won't beg to help in the cause of Scottish independence?"

However, Mr Salmond defended the letter.

"The letter was looking for agreement and support from a government and organisation under the auspices of the United Nations to help what I think is the majority of opinion in Scotland, to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons," he said.

Mr Salmond added that delegates at Monday's anti-Trident conference in Glasgow had supported the initiative "in looking to end the evil of nuclear weapons from Scottish soil and Scottish waters".