National unity and peace are my priorities: Thai Interim PM

Bangkok, Oct 1 (UNI) Thailand's interim civilian Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont today said his first priority would be to end the political divide and the insurgent violence in the country's south.

Former army chief, with the backing of the 19 September military coup leaders, took office as the country's 24th prime minister at a traditional state ceremony this afternoon.

He said he accepted the offer to head the government only in view of these urgent national problems.

Addressing a press conference after the swearing-in ceremony, Gen Surayud, who is one of the advisors to the Thailand's revered monarch, said his economic policies would focus on the King's self-sufficiency economy.

''I will focus on the people's happiness rather than GDP figures,'' he said.

He listed as being on ''top of my agenda'' the national political deadlock and the southern violence. ''I will pull out all the stops to solve the two pressing issues within one year,'' he said.

The interim prime minister, who headed the Thai armed forces between 1999 and 2002, said he would finalise his cabinet within a week and then outline his administration's policies to create confidence among investors.

Sixty three-year-old Gen Surayud is known for his opposition to a political role for the armed forces.

He will be prime minister for a year till national elections are held under a new constitution to be drafted over the coming months.

The 19 September coup, endorsed by the interim constitution which got royal approval today, has been justified as necessary to resolve the nearly year-long worsening political stand-off between the ouster caretaker government and its opponents.

Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra had also been criticised for his inability to tackle the separatist violence in Thailand's three southern border provinces of Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani which has claimed more than 1,400 lives since early 2004.

UNI XC VA KP2125