About 5,000
people loyal to the former President
of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, have
taken to the streets to demand his
return from exile.
They marched
through the capital, Port-au-Prince,
waving banners and listening to
speeches calling for Mr Aristide's
return from South Africa.
Dozens of UN
peacekeepers watched the march amid
concerns that armed clashes might
break out with local police.
Meanwhile, Chile has decided to keep
troops in Haiti until the year's end.
The decision on
the 589 troops, taken by Chile's
Senate, comes ahead of a general UN
decision on whether to extend the
mandate of peacekeeping forces based
in Haiti.
Return calls
The marchers
chanted slogans remembering how Mr
Aristide returned to Haiti in 1994,
three years after being ousted in a
coup.
"What
happened in 1994 could happen
now," Printemps Belizaire, 37,
told the Associated Press news agency.
"We
resisted and Aristide came back. We
had hope with Aristide, but without
him we have no hope."
Mr Aristide
stepped down amid a rebellion led by
former soldiers in February 2004.
The crowds in
Port-au-Prince marched to mark Flag
Day, which marks the adoption of the
country's flag in 1803, one year
before a slave revolt secured
independence and made Haiti the
world's first black republic.
