Port-Au-Prince - Haitian authorities have banned a protest by students demanding the resignation of President Jean Bertrand Aristide, while giving the go-ahead to a pro-government march.

Students who back the Caribbean nation's opposition parties were not allowed to take to the streets on Thursday and instead were forced to stay in the Medical School's courtyard or in front of the building, where riot police cordoned them off.

The riot police had to use tear gas to keep government supporters away from the student protesters.

But 5 000 pro-Aristide students were allowed to march through the capital, demanding that schools remain open and that the president complete his term, set to end in 2006.

'How can elections be held in a country where violence has been on the rise for two months'

The opposition has called for closing schools and has encouraged parents to keep their children at home until Aristide resigns.

Meanwhile, in the northwestern coastal city of Gonaives, shooting broke out between police and armed militants from the Arbonite Revolutionary Resistance Front, but no one was injured.

The opposition has been demanding that Aristide step down claiming that legislative elections in May 2000 were fixed by his Lavalas party.

The Organisation of American States and Caribbean neighbours have tried to mediate, without success.

Aristide has been accused of corruption and mismanagement.

The Haitian church has proposed to set up a special council made up of representatives from political parties, religious organisations and human rights groups to help Aristide organise elections.

A United Nations-appointed human rights expert said in a report published on Thursday that even holding general elections was unlikely to put an end to the escalating violence in Haiti because of the deteriorating rule of law.

"The institutional crisis in the country is such a source of insecurity that an early return to peace through elections seems to be unrealistic for as long as the rule of law is being replaced by a state of impunity," said Louis Joinet.

He cited the persecution of and violence against journalists as well as party, union and human rights activists and students as signs of the prevailing insecurity.

Aristide pledged last week that legislative elections would be held in the impoverished Caribbean nation within the next six months.

More than 20 000 people marched through the Haitian capital on Wednesday in a show of support for Aristide.

The demonstration came hours after police used tear gas to prevent an attempted anti-government opposition rally by students at Port-au-Prince university.

The UN expert said anti-government rallies were "being broken up more and more violently with support from pro-government counter-demonstrators who are sometimes armed".

"The fight against impunity (for the perpetrators of such violent acts) and insecurity are linked to the end of the political crisis," Joinet told a press conference.

"How can elections be held in a country where violence has been on the rise for two months," he added.

"With or without Aristide, the real issue is the rule of law and the disappearing state."

The UN's special rapporteur on the freedom of opinion and expression, Ambeyi Ligabo, and special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Asma Jahangir, meanwhile expressed their strong concern about the human rights situation in Haiti.

The situation has notably deteriorated since the start of violent confrontations between militias supporting and opposing the government, as well as with members of the police, they said in a communique.

Calling on Haitian authorities to stop the violence, they said that the last few months had also seen numerous attacks against political activists, journalists and radio stations. - Sapa-AFP

Published on the Web by IOL on 2004-01-23 08:49:05