A U.S.-backed advisory council selected former U.N. official and international business consultant Gerard Latortue as Haiti's next prime minister Tuesday, marking a major step toward forming a transitional government in the troubled nation.

Haitian officials have launched the first steps toward assembling a new government that incorporates input from the political opposition, as U.S. military forces took to patrolling the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince.

Feb 27

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Three warships with 2,000 Marines are ready to sail to Haiti, where armed rebels are seeking President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's ouster, as the Pentagon considers its options for dealing with the crisis.

Opposition leaders in Haiti, who have been trying to pressure President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to resign, said Tuesday that they rejected a U.S.-backed peace proposal because it does not require the embattled president to step down.