Sami, a former foreign secretary and former adviser to caretaker government, submitted his resignation to CRP Trustee Board Chairman Maj Gen (retd) Muhammad Nurul Haque after being asked by the board to quit early this week.

Sami had previously quit as the chief executive officer of the CRP in mid-2006 after locking horns with Taylor over administrative and management issues.

Tension between Taylor and a group of Trustee Board members, including Sami, came to a head when Taylor was removed on May 15 from her position as the coordinator but retained her "figurehead" adviser's role.

"All of us want a fresh start with fresh lives and ideas; it was the request of many people that we need to look ahead at all the things that need to be done," Taylor told The Daily Star over the phone last night.

"This is old history now; we need to forget it and look ahead. All our energies had gone towards settling differences among ourselves--we hope that now we can concentrate on our work with the organisation," she added.

A citizens committee, comprising academics and social workers who had earlier protested Taylor's removal from the post of coordinator and demanded Sami's resignation over allegations of "immorally" accepting a big pay-packet, sent a press release yesterday lauding Sami for his decision.

"Mr Sami has told us that he is resigning only after his responsibilities have been fulfilled," they said in the press release. The committee also back-flipped on their earlier position on Sami, saying he has worked to expand and develop the CRP as a world-renowned organisation.

The press release was undersigned by nine prominent citizens, including national professor Kabir Chowdhury, journalist and writer Faiz Ahmed, Prof Sirajul Islam Chowdhury, Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed, actor and politician Asaduzzaman Noor.