Blair says he'll resign within a year

LONDON -
Prime Minister Tony Blair reluctantly promised Thursday to resign within a year, hoping that revealing a general timeframe for his departure will appease critics who are calling for him to step down.

"I would have preferred to do this in my own way," Blair said. He refused to set a specific departure date, but said the annual Labour Party conference this month would be his last. The next conference is scheduled for September 2007.

"The precise timetable has to be left to me and has to be done in the proper way," he said.

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