French President Jacques Chirac has expressed his regret that Corsican voters have rejected autonomy plans, warning that separatist violence will not be tolerated.
| How 'bout if they buy some turbans? |
The Mediterranean island's 260,000 inhabitants voted by a tiny margin to reject the plans in a referendum on Sunday. The Corsicans were being offered a new national assembly with tax-raising and greater control over public services, in a bid to end 30 years of separatist violence. Amid fears of a fresh upsurge in unrest, four bombs exploded overnight on Sunday, destroying holiday homes belonging to French people from the mainland. Even before the vote, separatist anger had been increased by the arrest of France's most wanted man, Yvan Colonna, just before the vote. French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy warned that his security forces would now get tough with separatists.
| "Yes. Mess with us and we shall mock you mercilessly!" |
"My priority in the months to come will be to ensure the security of the island and public order," he said in a statement. "The state cannot be absent from Corsica. The days of impunity are over." Mr Sarkozy had made eight visits to the island in the past 14 months to push for a Yes vote, and its rejection was seen as a personal blow to him. Mr Chirac joined his interior minister in insisting that further unrest would be combated. "The Corsicans did not agree to the proposal to reorganise the institutions of their region. This, I regret," he said in a statement. Independence campaigners said their battle for autonomy was not over. "We are now going to continue our fight for sovereignty and, eventually, independence," said one separatist assembly member, Paul Quastana of the Corsica Nazione party.
Another one of those low-level conflicts that go unnoticed.
| In this case, for hundreds of years. Ah, beautiful Corsica, original home of the vendetta... |
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