Aristide proposal rejected

HAITI'S government yesterday rejected proposals that President Jean-Bertrand Aristide step down to end a bloody uprising, while rebels threatened the Caribbean nation's second-largest city.

Aristide's militant defenders, meanwhile, vowed to take a stand against the two-week-old rebellion that has killed some 60 people and has attracted leaders with murderous backgrounds.

Police took refuge in their stations, making clear they were too scared to patrol the streets of Cap-Haitien

US officials worry the current crisis would only worsen if Aristide is forced to flee. One option being internally discussed is a transfer of power, with Aristide's consent, to a temporary governing board.

Government spokesman Mario Dupuy said in Port-au-Prince, the capital, that Haiti could not accept any proposal involving a change in the election date or an early hand-over of power.