HAITI: At least one person was killed and several others were injured in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, when gunmen opened fire during a demonstration to demand that exiled president Jean-Bertrand Aristide be tried on charges of corruption and killings.
As crowds gathered in front of the National Palace in Port-au-Prince, witnesses said they saw pro-Aristide militants open fire. Peacekeepers said there were dead and injured, but refused to give immediate details.
The body of one demonstrator was left on a sidewalk in the central square. US marines helped treat at least six people who were injured in the violence, many bleeding profusely. Witnesses also saw two Haitian police officers who had been shot and injured.
At a nearby hospital, blood covered the floor where at least eight people were being treated.
Haitian police and US and French troops who had been guarding the demonstration route to prevent violence began patrolling the area to bring it back under control.
Pro-Aristide supporters had planned a joint demonstration yesterday but said they were offered no protection by the peacekeepers and were afraid of reprisal attacks from anti-Aristide activists. Their protest was rescheduled for today, although leaders said they would have to assess whether the police or peacekeepers offer the same protection provided yesterday.
Mr Aristide released a statement through government officials in the Central African Republic, where he is in exile, saying he was "well-looked after" by his hosts and will personally address reporters at an unspecified time. Mr Aristide has said the United States forced him from power, something US officials deny.
Peacekeepers have removed barricades in central neighbourhoods but have avoided Aristide strongholds like La Saline and Cité Soleil.
Rebel leader Mr Guy Philippe, a former Aristide police chief accused of coup-plotting, reiterated that he had no political aspirations.
There were also cheers for Mr Louis-Jodel Chamblain, an ex-soldier convicted of the killings of Aristide supporters.
Rebels have refused to give up their weapons, despite Mr Philippe's pledge. A recently appointed seven-member "Council of Sages" met for a third day today to choose a new prime minister. Officials said they hoped to have a decision by tomorrow.
One possibility is Lieut Gen Herard Abraham, probably the only Haitian army officer to voluntarily surrender power to a civilian. Gen Abraham succeeded ousted Gen Prosper Avril in 1990 and immediately handed power to Haiti's Supreme Court justice. That allowed the transition that led to Haiti's first free elections in December 1990, which Mr Aristide won in a landslide.
Another choice is Mr Smarck Michel, a businessman who was Mr Aristide's prime minister in 1994-1995. - (AP)