Tuesday, December 30, 2008
The 74-year-old stepped down following a bitter power struggle, two weeks after his attempt to sack and replace Prime Minister Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein in defiance of lawmakers failed.
The move also came just days from a planned Ethiopian troop pullout.
Ethiopia sent in troops in late 2006 in a bid to rescue the internationally-backed transitional government and prevent the emergence of an Islamic republic on its doorstep, but has said it will withdraw its forces by January 5 at the very latest.
"We support and respect President Yusuf's decision to resign as president of the transitional federal government and welcome his commitment to continue supporting the Djibouti peace process," said US State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid.
"We acknowledge president Yusuf's contributions to long-term peace and stability in Somalia," he said.
Yusuf was at odds with the prime minister particularly over attempts to reconcile with an Islamist-dominated opposition group with which the government clinched a deal under a UN-mediated talks in Djibouti in June.
In accordance with the law, Somalia's parliament should act expeditiously to select a new president within 30 days, Duguid said.
The United States, he added, wanted the country's leaders "to intensify efforts to achieve a government of national unity and to enhance security through formation of a joint security force."
The United States will provide five million dollars to support the formation of such a joint security force, Duguid said.
Source: AFP, Dec 30, 2008