Kuala Lumpur  - Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi resigned Thursday after obtaining the consent of the country's constitutional monarch, paving the way for his deputy Najib Razak to be declared the new premier.

Abdullah, 70, arrived at the royal palace in the capital Kuala Lumpur early Thursday, to hand in his letter of resignation.

Government officials said Najib is due to be sworn in as the country's sixth prime minister on Friday.

Abdullah served as premier for slightly over five years, after he took over from former leader Mahathir Mohamad in November 2003.

Kuala Lumpur  - Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced Saturday that he would resign Thursday, paving the way for his deputy to become the country's new premier.

Abdullah said he would seek an audience with Malaysia's constitutional monarch, King Mizan Zainal Abidin, on Thursday to convey his intention to relinquish his post as prime minister.

Abdullah, who has been in office since November 2003, said a ceremony to transfer power to Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak would be held later but declined to give a date.

Kuala Lumpur  - In a rousing speech marking his resignation as party president, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Thursday called on the ruling party to work at rebuilding its badly bruised image and focus on leading the nation.

Abdullah was emotional and struggled to hold back tears throughout his opening speech of the general assembly of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO).

Taipei - Taiwan upheld its claim to the disputed Spratly Islands Friday, a day after Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi inspected Layang Layang, one of the islets of the South China Sea archipelago.

"Historically, geographically and factually, the Spratly Islands and surrounding waters have long been the traditional territory of the Republic of China without doubt," said Taiwan's Foreign Ministry in a statement.

Tehran  - Malaysian Prime Minster Abdullah Ahmad Badawi arrived on Sunday for a three-day visit and talks with Iranian officials, state television reported.

Kuala Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced Wednesday that he would step down in March when he cedes the helm of the ruling party to his deputy.

Abdullah, who is president of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), made the announcement at a special meeting with top leaders of the 13 parties comprising the ruling National Front coalition.