LONDON (Dow Jones)�The Scottish National Party, the governing party in Scotland, said it wouldn't enter into a U.K. coalition government with either Labour or the Conservatives if the May 6 national election results in a hung parliament, where no single party has a majority.
"We wouldn't form a coalition or any other agreement with either the Conservative or Labour parties," SNP leader Alex Salmond told the British Broadcasting Corporation.
However, Salmond said: "What you can do in a balanced parliament...is as each vital vote comes along you can progress the interest" of the party's agenda."
Salmond said a commitment not to renew the U.K.'s submarine-based Trident nuclear deterrent would be "a major issue" which could win his party's support.
He said "that would free up massive resources that would be devoted to things that are more important."
The SNP, a left-leaning party that supports Scottish independence, has been the largest party in the Scottish parliament since 2007.
The party has allied with Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru during the U.K. election, insisting it would fight hard under a hung parliament to ensure that Scotland and Wales don't bear the brunt of budget cuts aimed at paring down the U.K.'s huge budget deficit.
Copyright 2009 Dow Jones Newswires
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