Dili (ANTARA News) - East Timor's Development Minister Abel Ximenes on Monday said he was resigning from his cabinet post so that he could concentrate on helping his party win the the 2007 general elections.

"My main reason for resigning is for the sake of the national interest," Ximenes, who asked Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri for permission to step down earlier in the day, told AFP.

"I resign today because of the situation several days ago that made people panic and paralyzed the private sector and I, as a minister for development, failed to do anything," he said.

Thousands of people left Dili last week following rumors of further unrest after a deadly riot in the capital on April 28.

The violence, which left at least five dead, erupted during a protest by
soldiers sacked for desertion. The nearly 600 soldiers -- about a third of the country's armed forces -- had complained of discrimination.

Ximenes said that he wanted to be able to "focus more and as much as
possible on party affairs, so that the party can win in the upcoming 2007
general elections".

Ximenes comes from Fretilin, the country's largest, and ruling, party.

"If Fretilin wins, then stability will come and progress in all fields will take place so that people can live in peace and obtain a better life," he said. (*)

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