BY MARIKA LYNCH, KAREN BRANCH AND JOSEPH TANFANI

 As more than 100 police officers stood ready for a demonstration against the
 planned repatriation of Elian Gonzalez to Cuba, Miami-Dade Mayor Alex
 Penelas on Friday called for calm and pledged to arrest anyone who disrupts
 the streets of Miami.

 At the last minute, an exile leader called off the protest at Miami International
 Airport, where two buses were prepared to carry away law breakers. After
 a day of talks with Penelas and other officials, protesters agreed instead to
 hold a Monday night prayer vigil in Little Havana in support of Elian's Miami
 relatives. At least one said civil disobedience was still possible, however.

 In a speech markedly different in tone from his controversial remarks a week ago,
 Penelas said he did not support civil disobedience, including the plan to slow
 down traffic at the airport.

 The mayor said he would ``not permit [protests] that infringe on the rights of
 others.

 ``You cannot express your emotions with violence. We cannot permit it. You
 cannot express emotions with civil disobedience,'' Penelas said. ``We will
 maintain order and, if it's necessary, make arrests.''

 NATIONAL CRITICISM

 Penelas was sharply criticized across the nation after a defiant speech March 29
 in which he said he would hold President Clinton and Attorney General Janet
 Reno responsible for any violence in Miami-Dade over Elian's custody, and vowed
 that local police would not assist federal officers in sending the boy back to Cuba.

 Although Penelas forcefully denied it, many interpreted those remarks as an
 endorsement of civil disobedience.

 In his remarks on Friday, Penelas -- whose father spent time as a political
 prisoner under Castro -- said emotions in Miami were running very high, what he
 called a response of ``41 years of having loved ones perish in the straits of
 Florida.''

 This time, however, Penelas took pains to repeatedly call for calm and peace.

 ``I know tensions are running very high, but we must remain calm,'' Penelas said.
 ``The entire world is looking on our community. We must demonstrate
 peacefully.''

 An agreement was hammered out earlier in the day among eight exile groups,
 Penelas and Miami Mayor Joe Carollo in meetings at the former offices of Radio
 Mambi at 2960 Coral Way.

 PRAYER VIGIL

 The sessions resulted in plans for a prayer vigil at 8 p.m. Monday at Northwest
 22nd Avenue and First Street, a few blocks from the home of Elian's Miami
 relatives.

 The MIA slowdown was called late Thursday night by Ramon Saul Sanchez,
 leader of the Democracy Movement.

 Hoarse from shouting, standing on a city trash can, a haggard-looking Sanchez
 exhorted the crowd outside the Gonzalez family home to ``send a powerful
 message.''

 Friday, Sanchez called off the campaign, but warned that civil disobedience to
 disrupt the streets of Miami-Dade could still happen.

 `It's suspended, not canceled. Momentarily suspended,'' he said. ``It could
 happen.''

 Miami-Dade police were ready Friday. A force of more than 100 officers swarmed
 over the airport, placing orange cones to block off a lane for tow trucks and
 standing in clusters every few feet along the upper and lower drives. Two
 corrections department buses were parked near the airport entrance, ready to
 take protesters to jail.

 If protesters tried to stop traffic, Miami-Dade police spokesman Pat Brickman
 said the department was prepared to charge offenders with criminal mischief, a
 third-degree felony.

 Airport travelers, many returning from cruises on a typically busy Friday, were
 happy not to land in the middle of a raucous Elian demonstration.

 One exception was Mike Mutters, who was apparently looking to round out his
 Caribbean vacation with pictures of a real-life Miami street protest.

 ``He's the one with the camera,'' said wife Renee Moos. ``He wanted to see
 something going on.''

 Herald staff writers Ana Acle, Sara Olkon and Alfonso Chardy contributed to this
 report.

                     Copyright 2000 Miami Herald