Deposed Kyrgyzstani President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said on Tuesday he will resign only if the interim government guarantees his and his family's security and order in the country.
"I will resign if [first] my and my relatives' security is guaranteed. Second, if order [in the country] is guaranteed and roaming the streets with guns stops," Bakiyev said during a news conference in the country's southwestern city of Jalal-Abad.
Bakiyev was toppled after large-scale anti-government protests swept Kyrgyzstan last week. He has fled the capital, Bishkek and is hiding in the outskirts of Jalal-Abad as the south of the country is his traditional stronghold.
Earlier on Tuesday, the interim government, which took power in the country amid the unrest that claimed some 80 lives, said it had issued a decree to remove Bakiyev's presidential immunity and threatened to arrest him if he does not return to Bishkek on Tuesday.
Bakiyev has refused to return to the capital and says he is not afraid of the opposition's threats.
"I am not afraid of a special operation. It will not help to quench discontent in the republic's south," he said.
Bakiyev has invited the head of the interim government, Roza Otunbayeva, to Jalal-Abad for talks.
"I will not go to Bishkek. Let Otunbayeva come for talks. We will ensure her safety," he said.
Bakiyev also said he was not against the transformation of the country from a presidential to a parliamentary republic. The interim government has announced that it intends to hold a referendum on the issue.
MOSCOW, April 13 (RIA Novosti)
