MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Haitian rebels prepare to march on capital

Rebel forces controlling about half of Haiti prepared to move south towards Port-au-Prince, the capital, on Monday with the aim of ousting President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who has rejected opposition calls for his resignation.

As the death toll from the three-week rebellion mounted with the capture of the northern city of Cap-Haitien by rebels on Sunday, 50 US Marines were dispatched to the capital to protect the US embassy. France became the latest country to advise its citizens to leave.

Leaders of the Democratic Platform, the opposition coalition, requested another 24 hours to respond to a power-sharing peace plan presented at the weekend by international mediators, including the US, France, and the Organisation of American States. The US said the deadline was extended until Tuesday evening.

The political opposition, which may have some contact with the rebels but no control over them, is under US pressure to join Mr Aristide and accept the proposal. The plan would allow Mr Aristide to remain in office. The opposition has demanded his resignation since disputed elections in 2000. It is far from certain that a political agreement in the capital would stop the rebel advance.

The US, which restored Mr Aristide to power in 1994 by sending 20,000 troops, says the international community will not send a joint police force to help maintain security until a political settlement is in place. The Bush administration criticised Mr Aristide's use of mobs to suppress anti-government protests in December.

Dominique de Villepin, France's foreign minister, expressed concern that the chaos in Haiti was worsening. He reiterated the willingness of France, the former colonial power, to contribute to a multi-national intervention force if there was broad international support and a mandate from the UN. "We are unfortunately not yet at this stage," he told RMC-Info radio.

The Pentagon said about 50 Marines in a "Fleet anti-terrorism support team" flew to Port-au-Prince on Monday. They had been requested by James Foley, the US ambassador, to increase security at US diplomatic facilities.

News agencies reported there was little resistance in Cap-Haitien to the rebel takeover which was followed by heavy looting. The Associated Press estimated the death toll from the rebellion to date at more than 70.

One of the rebel commanders is reported to be Guy Philippe, a former police chief, who has been joined by other ex-soldiers of the army that Mr Aristide disbanded when he returned to power in 1994.

Daniel Erikson, analyst at the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington think-tank, said the international community had two options in dealing with Haiti, by far the poorest country in the western hemisphere. The choice, he said, was to commit international peacekeepers for a sustained period, "or allow Haiti to collapse and become a failed state".