Aristide agrees to international peace plan
But rebels hold firm to demand that president step down
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Students supporting the revolt embrace in front of a sign that reads "Negotiations are not possible with Aristide."
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CNN's Lucia Newman reports on the revolt in Haiti as demonstrators demand President Jean-Bertrand Aristide resign.
Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide is vowing to fight to the end to protect democracy and his regime.
(Contains graphic images of violence) Rebels led by formerly exiled paramilitaries take over more cities in Haiti.
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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CNN) -- President Jean-Bertrand Aristide said Saturday that he has accepted all conditions of a peace plan presented to him by an international delegation, but opposition leaders appeared unwavering in their refusal to go along with any such deal.
The plan calls for the appointment of a new prime minister acceptable to both sides, the establishment of a bipartisan Cabinet, the holding of new elections to be overseen by international observers and the disarming of militias roaming much of the North.
Saturday's plan also included elements of a plan put forth Friday by the 15 member states of the Caribbean community, known as Caricom, that would require Haiti to comply with resolutions for the country put forth by the Organization of American States, or OAS. It would also require Haiti to negotiate new rules for demonstrations, release political detainees and ensure fundamental rights for its citizens.
The delegation includes representatives of the United States, Canada, France, the OAS, Caricom, the European Union and French-speaking states.
Rebels, who control much of northern Haiti, say Aristide's government is corrupt and call for new elections. Aristide has faced criticism since an election in 2000 that observers called fraudulent. Opposition parties accuse his supporters of using violence to intimidate them.
Nearly 40,000 Haitians fled the country after a 1991 coup ousted Aristide, who was restored to power in 1994 during a U.S. military intervention.
The Red Cross estimates that more than 50 people have been killed since the rebellion erupted February 5 in the city of Gonaives.
Aristide, who announced his agreement to comply after emerging from a meeting with the international team of envoys headed by Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemispheric Affairs Roger Noriega, appeared conciliatory, referring to the opposition as his "brothers."
But the envoys found that audience tougher to persuade than Aristide had been. Three hours after talks began, one opposition leader left the meeting and told reporters, "The international community wants us to accept a proposal that, if we were to accept, would mean the end to the opposition."
Even before the meeting, the opposition had said it would reject any proposed solution that did not include Aristide's immediate resignation.
But Aristide repeated Saturday that he would not step aside until his term of office expires in 2006.
As the two sides appeared to have reached an impasse, the United States issued a travel warning, telling U.S. citizens to leave the Caribbean nation.
The U.S. State Department ordered the departure of all family members and nonemergency personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince and urged citizens to leave while commercial airlines are still operating.
A senior State Department official said the decision was not based on any military assessment.
"We have been looking at this for a month in reviewing the security situation," the official said.
"We decided it is essential to take out nonessential personnel until the situation is more stable," the official said. The official said it is not an evacuation, as commercial flights are available. The embassy remains open, and the diplomats needed to conduct the diplomacy will not leave, the official said.
Pro-Aristide militiamen armed with pistols, machetes and rocks clashed Friday with students and labor union members calling for him to resign. Hospital officials said 20 people were wounded, nine of them seriously.
A team from the U.S. Southern Command is in Port-au-Prince to assess the security situation for the U.S. Embassy and the estimated 20,000 Americans in the nation.
On Friday, Canada's embassy asked Canadians to leave Haiti. The Peace Corps has also ordered its volunteers out.
Foreigners flocked to the capital's airport, waiting in lines to find flights home.
"We decided it's best to go home right now, because it looks like things aren't going to resolve for a while," one young American woman said.
The situation has prompted U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to appoint a special adviser to Haiti.
CNN's Lucia Newman contributed to this report.
