Photo: Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide appeals for international help against rebels Tuesday at the presidential palace in Port-au-Prince.

 

Port-au-Prince — Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide appealed Tuesday for the world to come to his country's aid, warning that thousands of deaths and a wave of boat people could result from political chaos.“Should those killers come to Port-au-Prince, you may have thousands of people who may be killed,” Mr. Aristide said at a news conference. “We need the presence of the international community as soon as possible.”He made the appeal as rebels threatened the capital and hours before opposition politicians were to give a formal response to a U.S.-backed peace plan at 5 p.m.A Canadian assessment team was arriving in Port-au-Prince Tuesday afternoon, a spokesman for Foreign Affairs said.The Canadian Planning Assistance Team (CPAT) is to study how to implement a contingency plan developed by the Canadian for a possible removal of Canadians from Haiti, Reynald Doiron said from Ottawa.The Canadian Armed Forces team is scheduled to return to Canada on Sunday, Mr. Doiron said.Foreign Affairs had advised Canadians not to travel to Haiti and those who are there are being told to leave while commercial means are available. The government has also authorized the departure of non-essential staff from the Canadian embassy in Port-au-Prince and all dependants of Canadian government personnel. About 1,000 Canadians in Haiti have registered with Foreign Affairs.The United States, Mexico, Australia, France and Britain have advised their citizens to leave Haiti.When asked if he was calling for a military intervention, Mr. Aristide told reporters he wanted the international community to strengthen Haiti's police force, under an old agreement with the Organization of American States.On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell telephoned officials from the opposition coalition and persuaded them to delay their response as the United States and others appeared to be making last-ditch efforts to win a political compromise.The rebels have set up a base in Gonaives, Haiti's fourth-largest city 110 kilometres northwest of Port-au-Prince, and rebel leader Guy Philippe said he was setting up a second one in Cap-Haitien, the northern port and second-largest city that was seized Sunday.But Mr. Philippe told the Associated Press that he has been using a strategy of seizing towns, systematically driving out enemies, winning over the population and moving to the next target. The rebels effectively control the north now and the central Artibonite District, where more than one million people live.He also said in an interview with the AP that he does not want to install a military dictatorship but is seeking to re-establish the army that was disbanded after ousting Aristide in 1991.