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I helped to restore America's leadership.

The people gave me the responsibility of building the future of this nation. And I did it with honor.

I come from election, I come from the people. I owe gratitude to our people. I do everything for the good of the country and the people.

I prefer that people remember me as a president who made reforms rather than a president who did nothing.

I took an oath to protect the Constitution, and protecting the Constitution means not letting the president bypass the separation of powers.

I've used the prestige and influence of having been a president of the United States as effectively as possible. And secondly, I've still been able to carry out my commitments to peace and human rights and environmental quality and freedom and democracy and so forth.

Perhaps the mistake I made at the start of my mandate is not understanding the symbolic dimension of the president's role and not being solemn enough in my acts. A mistake for which I would like to apologise or explain myself and which I will not make again. Now, I know the job.

It has been my privilege on various occasions to converse with presidents of the United States and important men in other governments. At the close of each such occasion, I have reflected on the rewarding experience of standing with confidence in the presence of an acknowledged leader.

I am mindful not only of preserving executive powers for myself, but for predecessors as well.

I reached a situation in which I cannot conduct the presidency.