Colin Powell quits

2004-11-15 17:15

Washington - Secretary of state Colin Powell has told top aides he intends to resign from President George W Bush's cabinet, high-ranking state department officials said on Monday.

Powell, who long has been rumoured planning only a single term with Bush, told his aides that he intends to leave once Bush settles on whom to succeed him, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The word of Powell's imminent departure kicked off a new week of cabinet shuffling for Bush, who is planning his second term team.

"I do expect some announcements shortly regarding members of the cabinet," White House spokesperson Scott McClellan told reporters at the White House on Monday.

More resignations

"There are a few resignation. I expect four today."

McClellan added that he did not expect any announcements on replacements on Monday.

The White House was preparing an announcement to confirm Powell's resignation.

According to one official, Powell expects that his departure date will be sometime in January.

It was not immediately clear whether he will leave before Bush's second inauguration on Jan 20.

Most of the speculation on a successor has centred on UN ambassador John Danforth, a Republican and former US senator from Missouri.

Controversial

Powell has had a controversial tenure in the chief of state's job, reportedly differing on some key issues at various junctures with defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Powell, however, has generally had good relations with his counterparts around the world, although his image standing has been strained by the US-led war in Iraq.

Powell, a former chair of the military joint chiefs of staff, led the Bush administration argument at the United Nations for a military attack to oust Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, arguing a weapons-of-mass-destruction threat that the administration could never buttress.

Powell submitted his letter of resignation to the president on Friday.

He will go about his usual schedule and will continue at full speed until a successor is named and in place, a senior administration official said.

Powell was scheduled to meet later on Monday with Israeli foreign minister Silvan Shalom and was to attend a meeting of Asian and Pacific leader in Chile on Wednesday and a multinational conference on Iraq next week.

He told about two dozen staff members of his intended departure at the start of the day.

- AP