WASHINGTON, June 4: Calls for reform at the CIA gathered steam on Friday following the resignation of its director George Tenet and deputy director for operations amid mounting criticism over intelligence provided before the Iraq invasion and the Sept 11 attacks.

Democratic presidential contender John Kerry, who had already called for Mr Tenet to stand down, said: "We must reshape our intelligence community for the 21st century and create a new position of 'director of national intelligence' with real control of all intelligence personnel and budgets."

Several leading dailies, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, on Friday called on President George Bush and the US Congress to plan a major reform for the Central Intelligence Agency. The Los Angeles Times recommended greater congressional oversight.

Mr Tenet fought back tears on Thursday as he bid farewell to staff at CIA headquarters, saying he was leaving to spend more time with his family. Mr Bush also insisted that the new blow to his administration - as he seeks international support in Iraq and campaigns for re-election - was a resignation prompted by "personal reasons".

Mr Bush announced he had accepted Mr Tenet's resignation at a hastily convened news conference just before he left for a major trip to Europe. He said Mr Tenet had announced the news at a White House meeting on Wednesday night.

"He told me he was resigning for personal reasons. I told him I'm sorry he's leaving. He's done a superb job on behalf of the American people," said Mr Bush. US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who is visiting Singapore, said he joined Bush in regretting Tenet's decision, adding that his work "has helped to save lives on the battlefield".

Deputy CIA director John McLaughlin will take over in mid-July, when Mr Tenet's resignation becomes effective. Analysts said no permanent replacement is expected until after the Nov 2 presidential election. Any nomination before the election would require congressional confirmation hearings that could reopen the wounds over Iraq and Sept 11.

In another surprise announcement that made the CIA look more and more like a sinking ship, a US official said on Thursday a second top CIA official - deputy director for operations James Pavitt, who was in charge of the Central Intelligence Agency's human spies - also planned to announce his retirement.

Pavitt had decided to leave the agency before Tenet made his announcement, the official added. In a speech to CIA employees, Tenet described his resignation as "the most difficult decision I've ever had to make.

"And while Washington and the media will put many different faces on the decision, it was a personal decision and had only one basis in fact: the well-being of my wonderful family, nothing more and nothing less," he said.

Choking back tears he then addressed his son Michael, a teenager sitting in the audience who is about to finish high school. "You've been a great son - and now I'm going to be a great dad," he said. Tenet, appointed by then-president Bill Clinton in July 1997, was the second longest serving head of the world's most powerful spy agency. -AFP

Operations chief resigns