QUITO (AP)--Thousands of demonstrators marched in Ecuador's capital Thursday to protest free trade talks scheduled for Friday, setting off clashes at police barricades.
Police fired tear gas to disperse several groups that tried to break through police cordons blocking access to a hotel where some 900 business leaders from across the Americas held meetings before the talks.
"No to the FTAA, no to imperialism," read signs carried by protesters, who included students and Indians in traditional clothing.
Demonstrators have been arriving in Quito from across Latin America all week ahead of Friday's meeting between ministers and representatives from 34 nations to debate the so-called Free Trade Area of the Americas, or FTAA.
The agreement would create a free trade zone in 2005 throughout the Americas, excluding Cuba. While supporters see it as a way out of poverty in the hemisphere, opponents say U.S. companies will use market access to steamroll Latin American competition.
"Even though Cuba is not part of the FTAA, we are part of Latin America and we protest the injustice the system proposes," said Leonel Gonzalez, a representative of a Cuban labor group.
In response to growing demonstrations, Ecuadorean authorities have assigned more than 5,000 police to provide protection for the gathering and have dispatched elite police teams to boost security at the U.S. Embassy.
Business leaders from smaller economies in Latin America and the Caribbean said they want the United States to drop agricultural subsidies and import tariffs as part of the agreement. They want Friday's negotiations and final agreements to include compensation that will strengthen their weaker economies.
"The United States has a moral obligation to clearly lay out the rules of the game," said Salomon Larrea, president of Ecuador's National Chamber of Agriculture.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick said at a news conference that the key objective isn't reducing tariffs but "creating more jobs that will raise salaries and open opportunities."
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