Quebec premier issues new independence call

Quebec Premier Rene Levesque says he is determined to do anything to block Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's plans for Canadian constitutional reform - and once again called for eventual Quebec independence.

Mr. Trudeau offered to make concessions if they would return Mr. Levesque to the conference table, where premiers of nine of Canada's 10 provinces recently signed an agreement to reform the country's British constitution.

Levesque, who leads Canada's only majority French-speaking province, was the only premier who refused to sign the accord, which he said would wipe out Quebec's powers in crucial areas.

He announced a set of minimum conditions for resuming talks, but Trudeau's concessions did not match those conditions.