The plan is aimed at ending more than 25 years of bombings and political assassinations by Corsican separatists fighting for the island's independence. But it was rejected almost immediately by island leaders, who said today that Mr. Jospin had not gone far enough.
The leader of the Corsican National party, Jean Guy Talamoni, dismissed the proposals as "hasty improvisations."
Still, he seemed encouraged by the offer, saying he had every intention of returning to the negotiating table, where he thought he could get a better deal.
Mr. Jospin has been meeting regularly with the Corsican leaders since a cease-fire was declared in December. But he has come under fire from the right, and even from some of his own ministers, for conducting negotiations with people who have refused to condemn violence.
His proposals -- unveiled at a Monday night meeting with Corsican officials -- offer the right to modify laws on a limited basis, though exactly how this would work remained an open question. It would also give Corsica's local government a range of new powers in such areas as economic development, education, transportation and environment.
And it calls for the Corsican language, a dialect of Italian, to become an obligatory part of the school curriculum, unless a parent asks for an exception. [Emphasis mine, hfs]
However, it leaves several thorny issues unresolved. For instance, the Corsicans have been asking for a general amnesty for those involved in the political violence and a release of "political prisoners." But there is no mention of these issues.