/ 6 November 2005

Rioters shatter hopes of forging free trade coup

United States President George Bush was poised for a big new political setback on Saturday night as a diplomatic push for a major free trade agreement seemed stalled amid fierce opposition from key countries and scenes of violence and rioting in Argentina and Uruguay.

Bush, who is already beset by a host of domestic political troubles, had hoped for a major foreign policy coup to take some of the pressure off his beleaguered White House. He has put breaking down free trade barriers in the region at the top of the agenda at the Summit of the Americas, which has brought together leaders from 34 different countries in the Argentine city of Mar Del Plata.

But the end of the summit was delayed as talks dragged on inconclusively about a proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). A group of left-leaning countries, headed by Brazil, Venezuela and others, opposed the idea, saying it would open their countries to exploitation by large American firms and do little to alleviate poverty. Bush left the summit before it ended as discussions about whether to adopt a clause scheduling FTAA talks for next year continued past a deadline set for a summit declaration.

Officials said countries were still deeply divided over the issue of setting a date and an opt-out could be included in any final statement. That result is a long way from the clear progress the White House wanted. Officials had wanted a foreign policy win to offset domestic criticism that the general hostility abroad to the war in Iraq had damaged America’s ability to promote its interests diplomatically.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Saturday FTAA discussions should wait until at least after crucial World Trade Organisation talks in December on stripping global trade barriers and boosting the world’s economy. Venezuela’s firebrand president Hugo Chavez was more strident. On Friday night he told a crowd of more than 20 000 protesters that the policy was a branch of American imperialism. ”Only united can we defeat imperialism and bring our people a better life,” he said, adding: ”Here, in Mar del Plata, FTAA will be buried!”

The summit has exposed deep rifts among the region’s countries on the issue of free trade. A large group of countries could now push ahead to create a free trade area without major players like Brazil, Argentina and Venzuela. It has also exposed a critical attitude of many leaders have towards Bush, especially with Chavez. Chavez regularly denounces Bush as ”Mr Danger” in speeches and there was much speculation as to whether the two men would meet face-to-face. However, at the traditional leaders’ group photo the pair seemed to keep a safe distance from eachother.

But it has been less calm on the streets outside. Widespread protests on Friday turned ugly as rioters set a building on fire and hurled objects at police. Demonstrators, some of them wearing masks, threw Molotov cocktails, set bonfires in the streets with items looted from stores, burned US flags and set a bank ablaze. Police in turn fired tear gas at the crowds and held them back from beaching a tough security cordon set up around the luxury hotel where the summit was being held. There were also reports of riots in Uruguay where police in riot gear battled protesters who were demonstrating against the summit.

The scenes of violence and protest, which have become common at most meetings of world leaders, prompted Bush to ruefully acknowledge his unpopularity in much of the world outside his own borders. ”It’s not easy to host all these countries, particularly not easy to host, perhaps, me,” Bush told his Argentine hosts ”But thank you for doing it.”

After the summit finished Bush flew to Brazil, where he will meet with President da Silva for bilateral talks before heading for two days in Panama. It is a relatively rare trip abroad for the President and comes as his administration seeks to recover from a series of political mis-steps and scandals that have seen Bush’s popularity ratings plummet. – Guardian Unlimited Â