Donald Trump says he won't run for US president in 2012

On Monday, he said he could win but "business is my greatest passion".

In recent months, the real estate mogul and reality television star had loudly questioned whether President Barack Obama was born in the US.

The media attention that gained and his already high name recognition boosted him to the top tier of candidates.

In a statement on Monday, Mr Trump said that through his "unofficial" campaigning, he had come to realise that "running for public office cannot be done half heartedly".

Mr Trump, who hosts the reality television programme Celebrity Apprentice, made his announcement on Monday as the NBC television network rolled out its line-up of forthcoming shows.

Prior to the announcement, NBC said it would bring back the programme with a different host if Mr Trump ran for president.

The New York businessman had been flirting with a presidential bid for months, even travelling to early primary states like New Hampshire.

Last month, Mr Trump demanded that Mr Obama release copies of his birth certificate, adding fuel to rumours among certain groups that the president was not born in the US.

The president ultimately released the certificate, and Mr Trump took credit for forcing Mr Obama's hand; Kazinform cites BBC News.

For full version go to www.bbc.co.uk