But the date of Mr Mori's departure is still not set and, worse, none of the likely candidates to succeed him inspires much confidence.

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Even if it goes ahead, the referendum seems not to allow for a change of the 2003 departure date.

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Nor is securing parliamentary approval when the vote is taken in March, a couple of months before Mr Blair is expected to announce his departure date.

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And he urged Tony Blair to set a date for his departure, to end speculation about it and ensure a smooth handover of power to Gordon Brown, the man widely expected to be the next Labour leader.

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They said the e-mail stated he had told the police authority of his intention to leave for personal reasons, but he has not set a date for his departure.

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Its scheduled departure date is March 25, and it will splash down in the Pacific with a payload of 2, 300 pounds of equipment and experiment samples from the Space Station.

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