REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, NEW YORK - Veteran East Timorese leader Xanana Gusmao said he's pushing back plans to stand down as the fledgling nation's prime minister.

Gusmao told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday that he'd intended to resign this September, but would now stay on until until the first half of 2015. He said he remained committed to transferring leadership responsibilities to a younger generation, but declined to say who might succeed him.

The 68-year-old Gusmao was a leader of East Timor's 24-year resistance against Indonesian occupation. He was elected the nation's first president after independence in 2002 and became prime minister in 2007 after internal unrest.

Gusmao said he'd decided to remain prime minister because East Timor is grappling with disputes over oil revenues with neighboring Australia and energy giant ConocoPhillips.

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