Rice 'waiting in the wings'
2004-11-15 21:58
Washington - Secretary of state Colin Powell, the top United States diplomat and one of its most-compelling political figures, announced on Monday he would leave as soon as his successor was in place.
"I assure you, I'll be working hard until the very, very end," he told reporters at the state department, adding that he and President George W Bush had come to a "mutual agreement" that it was time for him to resign.
Administration officials said Bush was likely to name national security adviser Condoleezza Rice to replace him.
Powell said it would be "a number of weeks or a month" before he departed.
- AP