Curfew in Seattle as WTO summit is delayed

The opening of the world trade summit in this damp Pacific coast city was postponed yesterday after thousands of protesters formed human chains to prevent delegates reaching the downtown theatre where the ceremony was to take place.

Later in the day, the summit began its work at the international convention centre. The director-general of the World Trade Organisation, Mr Mike Moore, said that work had begun and that "this conference will be a success."

Leaders called off the protests in the late afternoon, claiming that they had prevented the WTO from doing its work.

However, the Mayor of Seattle, Mr Paul Schell, declared a civil emergency and announced a 7 p.m. to dawn curfew in the downtown area of the city. In the morning, as riot police fired tear gas and used pepper sprays to clear the protesters from the streets, the "Battle of Seattle" began. Frustrated delegates had to be bussed back to their hotels to wait for calm to be restored.

A member of the Irish delegation, Mr Breffni Carpenter, was taken to hospital feeling the effects of tear gas, but was later released and has fully recovered.

Five separate marches clogged the streets around the convention centre where the WTO is hoping to agree the agenda for the new round by the end of this week. It is aimed at reducing barriers to trade in agriculture and services while dealing with sensitive areas like the environment and working conditions in poorer countries.

In contrast to the disruption caused by human and animal rights and environmental groups, the AFL-CIO, the biggest labour federation in the US, had envisaged a peaceful march by an estimated 50,000 trade union members around the convention centre and back to the city park where it started. The march was authorised by the police, but riot squads guarded the centre to ensure that the marchers did not breach the security barricades.

Work stoppages at the busy port of Seattle and at the huge Boeing plant allowed employees there to take part for several hours. Other trade unionists arrived by trains and buses.

The younger environmental groups organised their own street theatre and what they called a "festival of resistance".

An anarchist group in black masks attacked a McDonald's fast food outlet, some shops and a bank, breaking windows and spraying graffiti.

Police made about 20 arrests and used tear gas and fired rubber pellets called "stingers" to push back protesters, but no serious injuries were reported.

President Clinton was due to arrive in the early hours of today. He will meet with members of non-governmental organisations who are concerned at the effects on developing countries of stricter WTO rules.

He tried to calm the atmosphere in a statement saying that he sympathised with the protesters. "I also strongly believe that we should open the process up to all those who are demonstrating or outside. They ought to be part of it," Mr Clinton said.

However, US trade representative Ms Charlene Barshefsky, secretary of commerce Mr William Daley and agriculture secretary Mr Dan Glickman were forced to cancel a briefing on the talks because of the protests.

Hoping to pacify labour unions, who want workers' rights to be addressed, the US and the European Union said they would press WTO members to give labour a bigger voice in future trade deals, a move already rejected by the developing countries. Mr Kofi Annan, the United Nations secretary-general, was due to give a speech at the opening session yesterday, adding his voice to calls for WTO members to make the next set of global trade negotiations a "development round".

The Minister of State for Trade, Mr Tom Kitt, will address the summit today and pledge Ireland's commitment to a new round of trade talks.

The president of the Irish Farmers' Association, Mr Tom Parlon, said before he left Seattle to return to Ireland that, at meetings, the US and Australia were "quite vicious" in demanding the elimination of EU export subsidies that are so important to Irish farmers.