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Haitians demand return of exiled president

Protesters jammed the streets of Haiti's capital on Friday to mark the fourth anniversary of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide's ouster, with thousands marching to the presidential palace to demand his return from exile.

The peaceful crowd, estimated by police at 5,000, also criticized Haitian President Rene Preval and the UN peacekeeping force that has been in place since Aristide's departure, blaming them for rising food prices and unemployment.

Aristide escaped a rebellion on Feb. 29, 2004, aboard a US-supplied jet. He later accused the US of kidnapping him in a coup -- a charge Washington denies. He now lives in South Africa.

"Preval knows that if Aristide comes back, he will be the leader of the people here," said Wilson Mesilien, coordinator of the pro-Aristide September 30 Foundation.

Some marchers toted papier-mache coffins representing international groups such as the UN and the Organization of American States, which has been criticized for its involvement in Haiti elections.

Not all supported the demonstration. A street vendor watching the crowds in the Bel Air neighborhood shouted: "You're trying to put the egg back into the chicken!"

Marchers shouted back: "He will return!"
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