Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien said on Tuesday he would retire on Dec. 12, after a decade in power, and make way for his successor and long-time rival Paul Martin.
Chretien's last years in office were increasingly marked by a power struggle with Martin, who was elected last week as the new leader of the ruling Liberal Party. Chretien sacked Martin in June last year as finance minister for campaigning against him for the leadership.
"We have agreed that Dec. 12 will be the date when the new government will be sworn in," Chretien told reporters in Ottawa after the two men met to discuss the transition of power.
"I offer him my best wishes and good luck, and I will observe from the sidelines," said the 69-year-old prime minister, who took power in November 1993 and has been a legislator for more than 40 years.
Chretien has said the three achievements he is most proud of were eliminating the C$42 billion (US$32 billion) budget deficit he inherited from the Conservatives, passing legislation making it harder for the French-speaking province of Quebec to secede from the Canadian federation and deciding this year not to back the US invasion of Iraq.
But he will also be remembered for the smoldering rivalry with Martin.
Two months after Martin was sacked, his supporters inside the party forced Chretien to announce he would quit by the end of next February.
"If he feels he wants to consult me, he knows my number. If not, I will be a lawyer, and if he needs a lawyer he can call me," Chretien said.
Martin will have to announce a new Cabinet when he takes over on Dec. 12.
Chretien said he chose Dec. 12 because he wanted to go to Nigeria early next month for a summit of Commonwealth leaders, which is due to discuss the crisis in Zimbabwe.
On his way back from Africa he will stop off in Paris for a farewell meeting with French President Jacques Chirac, who also opposed the US invasion of Iraq.
Chretien's decision not to send troops to support the US further cooled his already tepid ties with US President George W. Bush.
Among Martin's main aims is to improve relations with Washington. Aides say Martin has yet to speak to Bush.
He also wants to end friction between Ottawa and the 10 provinces, give legislators more power in Parliament, spend more on the armed forces and give Canada a greater voice abroad.
"We've got to prepare now for the transfer of power and then obviously the first priority will be, obviously, to put together a Cabinet and set up the prime minister's office," was the only comment Martin, a 65-year-old multimillionaire businessman, made to reporters.
A Martin aide said there was "virtually no chance" that Parliament would be recalled on Jan. 12 -- the date set by Chretien earlier this month -- since that would not give the new prime minister enough time to pull together a platform.
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