U.S. says Scottish independence vote could have economic impact

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The United States will closely follow the Scottish independence vote on Thursday because it has potentially big economic consequences, a top Obama administration official said. "We think a strong, united UK is important as the UK has been one of our best and most reliable partners for a very long time," Treasury Secretary Jack Lew told students on Wednesday. "It's an internal debate within the UK right now but obviously there are potentially significant economic ramifications," he said. "We're all watching with great interest what happens tomorrow." (Reporting by Tim Reid in Los Angeles and Jason Lange in Washington; Editing by Sandra Maler)