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| Somalia's president quits office | |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Somalia's President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed has told parliament he is resigning. | |
| The news comes a few days after the resignation of the man he had recently appointed as prime minister. | The news comes a few days after the resignation of the man he had recently appointed as prime minister. |
| Ex-Prime Minister Mohamed Mahamud Guled quit last week saying his appointment was destabilising the government. | Ex-Prime Minister Mohamed Mahamud Guled quit last week saying his appointment was destabilising the government. |
| Mr Yusuf, elected four years ago, said he had failed to bring peace. The parliament speaker would take over leadership responsibilities. | |
| 'Failed in duty' | |
| He addressed parliamentarians in Baidoa, saying: "As I promised when you elected me on October 14, 2004, I would stand down if I failed to fulfil my duty, I have decided to return the responsibility you gave me." | |
| In his speech, broadcast on national radio, he said: "When I took power I pledged three things. | |
| "If I was unable to fulfil my duty I will resign. Second, I said I will do everything in my power to make government work across the country. That did not happen either. | |
| "Third, I asked the leaders to co-operate with me for the common good of the people. That did not happen," he said, according to Associated Press news agency. | |
| Mr Yusuf had faced criticism for appointing Mr Guled in defiance of Somali MPs, who said the dismissal of his predecessor, Nur Hassan Hussein, two weeks previously, had been illegal. | |
| The president had clashed in recent months with Mr Nur over attempts to negotiate a peace deal with the Islamist-led armed opposition. | |
| Mohamed Mahamud Guled said he had chosen to resign "so that I am not seen as a stumbling block to the peace process which is going well now". | Mohamed Mahamud Guled said he had chosen to resign "so that I am not seen as a stumbling block to the peace process which is going well now". |
| Somalia has been without an effective central government since President Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991. |