The Pentagon said tonight it was assembling a small military team to travel to Haiti to assess the security situation there, but expressed hope for a political solution in the Caribbean nation.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Mr Lawrence Di Rita said US South Command, based in Miami, was putting together a military team of three or four people to gauge embassy security at the request of the US ambassador.
But Mr Di Rita did not say whether plans were being put in place for an embassy evacuation amid an armed revolt that threatens President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
"There remains a lot of interest in resolving this matter politically," Mr Di Rita said. He told reporters that the team was expected to depart within 48 hours.