MINSK, Belarus — The ousted leader of Kyrgyzstan said Wednesday from exile in Belarus that he is still president of his Central Asian country.
Kurmanbek Bakiyev was deposed in an April 7 uprising that left 85 people dead in the Kyrgyz capital. He fled last week to neighboring Kazakhstan and arrived in the Belarusian capital earlier this week.
In his first comments from exile, Bakiyev was defiant and said he has not resigned.
He told reporters Wednesday in Minsk that he is still "the legitimate president of Kyrgyzstan," and described the interim government controlling Bishkek as "a gang of impostors".
Interim authorities in Kyrgyzstan claim Bakiyev signed a letter of resignation before leaving the country. The United States and Russia helped broker the agreement for his departure.
"Aware of my responsibility for the future of the people and the preservation of the integrity of the state ... I herewith submit my resignation," the letter shown to journalists by interim leader Roza Otunbayeva said.
But on Wednesday Bakiyev retracted any resignation. "I don't recognize my resignation. Only death will stop me," he said.
"As the president of Kyrgyzstan and the guarantor of the constitution, I don't give up responsibility".
Bakiyev said he was "ready to bear legal responsibility," but it was unclear if he meant he would answer for the violence in Bishkek, as the new authorities are urging. The provisional authorities have said they expect Belarus to protect Bakiyev until extradition proceedings can be initiated.
Bakiyev also called on the world community to refrain from recognizing the provisional government, which has announced parliamentary and presidential elections in six months and the drafting of a new constitution.
Bakiyev, wearing a suit and accompanied by a Belarusian presidential security detail, lamented that back home "robberies and violence have become the norm".
Bakiyev's supporters at his stronghold in southern Kyrgyzstan also refused to admit defeat, and on Wednesday clashed with hundreds of activists loyal to the interim government.
Witnesses told The Associated Press that scuffles broke out on Jalal-Abad's central square. The town, near a village that hosts the presidential compound, is one of the few remaining towns where support for the toppled leader is still visible.
The shaky interim coalition is struggling to restore stability, and developments are being watched with concern by Russia and the United States, both of which have military bases in Kyrgyzstan.
Associated Press writer Leila Saralyeva contributed to this report from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Associated Press
