Bush sends in marines
Criticised for responding slowly to defuse the revolt and for failing to mediate a viable alternative to Mr Aristide, Washington was worried rebels would fill a power vacuum in a nation with a history of coups and political violence.
"I have ordered the deployment of Marines as the leading element of an interim international force to help bring order and stability to Haiti," Mr Bush told reporters.
"I understand from speaking to (US Secretary of State) Colin Powell this morning that the Americans will be landing troops there today at the invitation of course of the (new Haitian) president," Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham told CTV television.
"In the meantime the United States and others in the (UN) Security Council will be obtaining a Chapter Seven resolution which will enable an international force to go in."
In New York, a group of "Friends of Haiti," including the US, France, Canada, Caribbean nations and others, met yesterday to work on a draft UN resolution authorising a multinational force to intervene in Haiti.
The US, which restored Mr Aristide to power a decade ago after a coup, helped the president fly out of Haiti and needed to shore up support for a transitional government, a State Department official said.
"The wild card here is the rebels. Are they with the program?" the official said yesterday.
"We want to make sure we neutralise them. Not necessarily by going after them but the timely insertion of some kind of deterrent is important."
Initially US troops would make up the bulk of the international force in Haiti. Officials said the US was considering sending three warships with about 2,000 Marines.
