East Timor President Xanana Gusmao said on Thursday he would step down if the country's prime minister refused to take responsibility for a weeks-long crisis in which the country has been racked by violence. He spoke in a broadcast to the nation after a second day of tense meetings failed to bring the resignation of Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, blamed by thousands of protesters for the violence in which at least 20 were killed, widespread looting and arson. "I ask the responsibility of Mari Alkatiri over this major crisis that we are going through to maintain the government and the state's democracy," Gusmao said. If Alkatiri failed to take responsibility, he said, "tomorrow I will send a letter to the national parliament to inform them that I will resign from the presidency of this republic. I am ashamed of the bad deeds that the government is doing to the people." Alkatiri told Portugal's Lusa news agency in a telephone interview that he would not resign.