Kyrgyzstan: Kyrgyzstan's deposed president Askar Akayev agreed to formally resign yesterday in a move welcomed by the central Asian state's post-coup government as key to cementing the opposition's seizure of power.
Mr Akayev made the announcement at a brief news conference in Moscow, where he has been in exile since fleeing the revolution that gripped his homeland 11 days ago. He said he had signed documents on four points.
"One of these is that the president of the Kyrgyz Republic announces his early resignation," Mr Akayev, who ruled ex-Soviet Kyrgyzstan for 14 years, said. "It has been decided to hold the actual ceremony of early resignation tomorrow."
International mediators had pressured acting leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev to allow Mr Akayev to come home and play a role in negotiating a political settlement after he was ousted in protests prompted by flawed parliamentary elections.
Some politicians said new elections would not be legitimate if Mr Akayev did not resign first.
But opposition leaders refused to allow Mr Akayev to return and formally resign before parliament, saying they would not be able to guarantee his safety from public anger.
"Thank God. He had enough sense and, in the end, understanding that the history of Kyrgyzstan is moving on without him and will continue to move without him," acting foreign minister Roza Otunbayeva said.
Opposition leaders accuse his family of having run a corrupt business empire, although Mr Akayev himself said he had nothing but a car and apartment.
After the veteran leader's downfall, many observers say the opposition has split, with Mr Bakiyev and rival opposition leader Felix Kulov - jailed under Mr Akayev on charges he called political - taking opposite positions.
But Mr Kulov welcomed Mr Akayev's move, saying it removed any danger of their revolution being overturned.
"I think this has great significance for us. This means Askar Akayev recognises what has happened," said Mr Kulov, who was sprung from prison by protesters during the uprising. - (Reuters)