East Timor president will not resign

East Timor president will not resign

Gusmao, a former guerrilla chief revered for his role in helping East Timor achieve independence from Indonesia, on Thursday demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri following weeks of deadly street battles in the capital, Dili.

Alkatiri refused, angering Gusmao who had responded by threatening to quit.

Many East Timorese say Alkatiri's decision to fire 600 disgruntled soldiers in March was to blame for street battles and gang warfare that left at least 30 people dead and sent nearly 150,000 fleeing from their homes.

The violence was the worst to hit the tiny Asian nation since it voted for independence seven years ago, but ebbed with the arrival of a 2,700-member Australian-led peacekeeping force several weeks ago, the AP reports.