MOSCOW, Sept. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- The government of Russia's North Ossetia republic, suffering the loss of over 350 people in last week's hostage-taking tragedy, will resign within the next two days, the republic's President Alexander Dzasokhov announced Wednesday.

    "In two days, a decree will be signed over the resignation of the government," Itar-Tass news agency quoted Dzasokhov as saying.

    "We are doing this because many problems have piled up and need to be solved better," Dzasokhov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

    The president did not make clear whether the departure of the government would include his own resignation.

    The president made the announcement while addressing members of the public who gathered in the republic's capital of Vladikavkaz to discuss ways to enhance security, fight terrorism and eradicate corruption in the government.

    A group of militants held about 1,200 hostages in the No.1 Middle School in the North Ossetian town of Beslan on Sept. 1. The crisis was ended after fierce exchanges of gunfire on Sept. 3 between Russian security forces and the militants leaving over 350 dead and hundreds wounded.

    Following the hostage tragedy, North Ossetian Interior Minister Kazbek Dzantiyev last Saturday offered his resignation which the Russian Interior Ministry rejected.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised speech to the nation earlier that the hostage-taking was a terrorist strike against the whole of Russia and measures would be taken to strengthen unity and security across the country, including creating "an effective anti-crisis system."

    Russia's Federal Security Services on Wednesday offered a reward of up to 300 million rubles (over 10 million US dollars) for information that will help it hunt down Chechen rebel leaders Shamil Basayev and Aslan Maskhadov who Russia suspects of being behind the school siege. Enditem