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Armed rebels enter Haitian capital
EFLHAVANA, March. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Insurgent groups headed by Guy Philippe who took arms against former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide entered Monday the countryâs capital, Port-au-Prince, reports received here said. They paraded across the city in trucks and stopped in several abandoned police stations. Accompanied by 50 heavily armed men wearing military helmets, Philippe moved in a caravan of vehicles around Petionville, a neighborhood in the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. The rebels told the press that just as Philippe had promised, they would not go to the Presidential Palace, headquarters of the new government chaired by the former judge of the Supreme Court Boniface Alexander. The insurgent leader said his forces would cease fighting as they awaited the arrival of an international peace force and asserted to back the interim government that replaced Aristide on Sunday. The US marines arrived in Haiti early on Monday as an advance of the multinational force and were deployed in the streets of Port-au-Prince. US President George W. Bush assured that the troopsâ main objective was to avoid a power struggle among rebel groups and to restore order. The chief of the US contingent David Berger added their first priority was to keep the capitalâs international airport open. Pictures at link. Posted by: GK 2004-03-01 |
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