Third bomb rocks Corsica

AJACCIO, Corsica -- Separatists have been blamed for the third bomb blast to rock Corsica in the past week.

The explosion on the troubled French island in the Mediterranean damaged a public building on Saturday in the town of Corte but caused no injuries.

The bombing was the latest challenge to French Government attempts to find a peaceful solution to the separatist campaign.

French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin last month offered Corsica an unprecedented degree of autonomy if separatists end the bombings that have plagued Corsica for 20 years.

Politicians in Corsica's assembly accepted the deal, but the latest attacks have cooled hopes that the plan will bring a lasting peace.

The blast at 0120 GMT followed a rocket launcher attack on a government office in the Corsican town of Sartene early on Thursday.

Nobody was injured in Thursday's attack but a car bomb in the cpaital, Ajaccio, on August 13 did injure several people.

Two weeks ago two prominent Corsican politicians were murdered in a sub-machine gun raid.

Corsican separatist groups had declared a ceasefire in December when Jospin began the landmark peace talks.

But the separatist Fronte Patriotu said on August 4 that it wanted Paris to announce a swift, concrete plan of action and would carry out attacks "if necessary."

Jospin's controversial accords, proposing to give the Corsican assembly within four years the power to adapt laws passed in Paris, require a revision of the constitution.

Reuters contributed to this report.

An overview of Corsica

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