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Chirac Refuses to Adopt Law Project on Corsica Self-Rule
French President Jacques Chirac Tuesday refused to adopt a law project presented by the Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin at the Council of Ministers because of possible contradiction it could have with the French Constitution.
The Council of Ministers coordinate the policy of the government with the president before any government project law goes to the parliament for debate.
"Having taken note of the law project on Corsica presented by the government according to the point of view of the Council of State, the President of the Republic decided to delay the inscription of this text to another Council of Ministers," the Elysee presidential palace said.
The Council of State is France's highest authority in charge of supervising the respect of the Constitution of the 5th Republic of France.
Chirac has asked the government to re-examine "the constitutional difficulties raised by the Council of State so that the Council of Ministers could work out a text which can lead to the continuation of the process of reform in Corsica in the respect of the fundamental principles of our Republican Pact," according to the Elysee palace.
Jospin reacted by calling for a rapid endorsement of the law project unchanged by the Council of Ministers and its presentation to the parliament for further debate.
According to the law project which was worked out by Jospin last year, Corsica will be given large legislative and economic self-rule by 2004.
Corsica, a Mediterranean island with rich fishing and tourism resources, has been experiencing separatist turbulences since the 1970s.
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