Opposition leaders voiced astonishment today after the First Minister insisted he was "very content" with Lord Justice Leveson's conclusions on his dealings with Rupert Murdoch.

Alex Salmond pointed to the Leveson inquiry's conclusion that he "cannot be criticised" and welcomed the finding that Scottish jobs and investment motivated the dealings he had with the media mogul.

But the Scottish Tory leader argued that the inquiry report contained "severe criticism" of the SNP leader and echoed calls for him to stand aside from leading talks on the way forward for press regulation.

The Scottish Labour leader accused Mr Salmond of flawed judgment and urged him to reflect on what Lord Justice Leveson said about him.

Released last week, the Leveson report into press standards found that the First Minister displayed a "striking" readiness to lobby UK Business Secretary Vince Cable and former culture secretary Jeremy Hunt on behalf of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp during their consideration of the legality of its planned BSkyB takeover.

Mr Salmond did not contact the UK ministers, despite indicating his willingness to do so, and therefore "cannot be criticised", the report found, saying he must be "judged by what he did, as opposed to what he said he was prepared to do."

However, if the First Minister had been successful in persuading UK ministers, his actions would have knowingly led them to break the law if it advanced Scottish interests, the report found.

Speaking on BBC Scotland today, Mr Salmond was asked whether he accepted he was wrong to offer to lobby on behalf of News Corp.

He told the Sunday Politics Scotland programme: "I'm very content with the Leveson conclusions, which said that I can't be criticised for what I did.

"I'm also very satisfied that he accepts without question that my motivation was Scottish jobs and investment and calls that an entirely laudable aim.

"So I'm very happy with the conclusions of the Leveson report.

He added: "We believe there's an overarching commitment in the Scottish ministerial code, which was put in in 2008, for Scottish Ministers to support jobs and investment in Scotland, what Lord Leveson describes a 'laudable'."

Asked whether he wanted to maintain the position that he had been totally vindicated, Mr Salmond replied: "I accept Lord Leveson's conclusion that based on what I did I cannot be criticised."

Conservative leader Ruth Davidson and Labour leader Johann Lamont, also speaking on the programme, criticised Mr Salmond's stance.

Ms Lamont said: "It's astonishing. I think he should perhaps be a little more reflective on what Lord Leveson says, because Leveson has criticised him more than any politician in his report.

"The only reason he didn't act in the way that he intended to do... was because the bid was withdrawn.

"So although he can't be criticised for what he did, we do know, in terms of what Rupert Murdoch's people said, he stood ready to go and act on behalf of Rupert Murdoch. I think he should reflect and be honest that perhaps his judgment was rather flawed there."

Ms Davidson also called the stance "astonishing".

"You can criticise someone for their intent," she told BBC Scotland.

"He made it clear to senior Murdoch executives that he was intending to ask UK Government ministers to act in an unlawful manner.

"There was severe criticism that was put on record by Lord Justice Leveson of the conduct of our First Minister and he has to accept that.

"I find it astonishing that he's not reflected on that and realised that he has to take a step back from these talks and allow somebody who's not tainted by that level of criticism to lead the Scottish Government."

The First Minister also said the Leveson report makes a "sweeping attack" on the conduct of Conservative and Labour politicians over the last generation for "operating against the public interest", a charge that did not apply to the devolved administration.

Mr Salmond was asked whether he would step aside and let another senior member of the Government lead cross party talks on the way forward for press regulation, something the main opposition parties have called for.

He replied: "If it was up to my political opponents, I would not be First Minister of Scotland. Thankfully, that's up to the people of Scotland. One of the reasons the people of Scotland elected me as First Minister is they know that I'll stand up for Scottish jobs and investment at every opportunity."

Mr Salmond said the Scottish Parliament has an "inescapable" responsibility to consider how Leveson should be implemented north of the border.

He said Scotland's legal system, different from that elsewhere in the UK, meant a Scottish approach to Leveson was necessary.

He also said he believed Lord Justice Leveson had made the case for a statutory underpinning for self-regulation, something the politician described as a "very attractive option".

"I think Leveson has actually made the case that you can avoid having state regulation of the press, which I don't support; that you could have a statutory underpinning of self regulation and still have a vigorous and free press," he said.

The First Minister earlier invited opposition party leaders to discuss how the press standards report could be implemented in Scotland.

He will hold talks with his fellow MSPs on Thursday in an attempt to find cross-party consensus on a new system of regulation.

The party leader talks will follow a parliamentary debate on the topic on Tuesday.