US tries to broker a Haiti peace plan

An opposition coalition was on the brink Monday of rejecting a US-backed peace plan because it did not require Aristide to resign. But Secretary of State Colin Powell phoned opposition politicians and persuaded them to delay their formal response for 24 hours, according to Evans Paul, a leading opponent once allied with Aristide.

The extra time "will perhaps give Mr. Powell a little more time to consider his position ... and give us the assurances we need," Paul said, repeating demands from an opposition coalition that Aristide step down.

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Rifles at the ready, about 24 Marines in full battle gear rushed off a US Air Force transport plane at Port-au-Prince's international airport Monday and secured a perimeter around the aircraft before another 30 Marines got off a second plane. Some Haitians stood on cars or high walls to peer at them.

The Marines then drove to the US Embassy in a convoy of trucks and cars. Western diplomats and a Defence Department official said their mission was to protect the US Embassy and its staff.

Ten years ago, the United States sent 20,000 troops to end a military dictatorship that had ousted Aristide in 1991, a year after he became Haiti's first freely elected leader. But Washington has made clear it won't commit a large number of troops this time.

Aristide, hugely popular when he was elected especially among the destitute in Western hemisphere's poorest country, has since lost a lot of support. Opponents accuse the former priest of failing to help those in need, condoning corruption and masterminding attacks on opponents by armed gangs. Aristide denies the charges. Flawed legislative elections in 2000 led international donors to freeze millions of dollars in aid.