Latin America prepares to 'say no to Bush'

United States President George Bush left his problems at home on Thursday only to find himself flying into a whole new world of hurt at the Summit of Americas in Argentina, where tens of thousands of protesters, led by the football star and broadcaster Diego Maradona, were due to greet the president in a "say no to Bush" march.

The president can expect an equally unfriendly welcome from some of the leaders and top officials attending the summit in the seaside town of Mar del Plata. Among those he can expect to come face to face with is Hugo Chávez, the outspoken President of Venezuela who has accused the Bush administration of attempting to orchestrate a coup against him and last week said the US was planning to invade his country.

About 10 000 police and security agents have erected a ring of steel around the town, while Argentinian navy vessels have been positioned off the coast. Most commercial flights are due to be suspended once the 34-nation summit begins. But with so many protesters in the area, there are fears that trouble could break out.

Last weekend, small bombs were thrown at several American bank branches and chain-store branches. Maradona has urged viewers of his popular television show to join him in a protest outside the meeting. Argentina's piquetero movement -- made up of protesters known for blocking roads and confronting authorities -- has promised to descend on the resort in force.

Cuba, the only country in the hemisphere not invited to the summit hosted by the Organisation of American States, will be attending a People's Summit in Mar del Plata set up by left-wing groups to counter the official version. Family members of fallen US soldiers in Iraq as well as Iraqi civilians who have suffered at the hands of US troops will also be there.

Chávez, an important ally of Cuba's President Fidel Castro, is due to visit the People's Summit on Friday and give a speech at a basketball stadium timed to coincide with the start of the Summit of Americas.

Before flying there, he said Venezuela would object to any attempt by the US to revive proposals for the creation of Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), which would overtake the European Union as the world's largest tariff-free zone.

Bush has been a forceful proponent of the idea, but talks have repeatedly stalled, with opponents fearful it would allow corporations to dominate the poor.

"They aren't going to revive it, even if they produce a 10 000-page document," Chávez told the Caracas-based TV channel Telesur.

"Latin America remains the region of most inequalities in the world," Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque told The Associated Press (AP). "The FTAA is just more of the same neo-liberal policies."

On Thursday, government officials at the summit site were still bickering over whether the event's final declaration would include crucial language on when high-level FTAA talks might resume.

Victor Hugo Varsky, an Argentinian representative, said negotiators were advancing very slowly.

"Some countries don't want any mention," he told AP. "Others want to progress towards a trade accord." -- Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005