German President Horst Kohler resigns

German President Horst Kohler announced his resignation on Monday following criticism about his recent comments on the margins of the German deployment in Afghanistan, AFP reports.

The Federal President, aged 67, was serving for his second term in office. He stepped down after he said that a country like Germany, reliant on foreign trade, had to know that military actions were needed to support national interests.

He said he regretted that the comments may lead to the misunderstanding of an important and difficult issue for Germany.