A worker adjusts the Brazilian flag as final preparations are made for the Summit of the Americas, in Quebec City, yesterday. The leaders of 34 Western Hemisphere nations will meet from April 20-22 to discuss the Free Trade Area of the Americas and other regional issues. Jamaica's flag is sixth from left. - ReutersBy Donna Ortega,
News Editor - The Financial Gleaner
QUEBEC CITY, Canada: THE CURTAIN goes up today on the Third Summit of the Americas, as 34 democratically-elected nations of the hemisphere including Jamaica, meet to discuss "Human Progress and Shared Prosperity" amid fears that events could turn nasty if protesters get out of hand.
Heads of government started arriving yesterday and so too some 2,000 journalists covering the meeting, as well as more than twice that number of protesters who object to globalisation and the negotiations for a Free Trade Area of the Americas, an integral part of the Summit process.
So while its neighbour to the south, the USA, is trying to hold off recession by cutting interest rates, Canada is turning back protesters at its borders in an attempt to clamp down on efforts to disrupt the proceedings. The government has said that persons have a right to protest if they wish, but acts of violence would not be condoned.
The atmosphere is heating up here where it seems winter is in no hurry to leave as attention is given over to the security measures which The Globe and Mail newspaper described as a "modern fortress".
Controversy surrounds a three-metre high fence erected around the city centre as well as the mobilisation of more than 6,000 police and 1,200 armed forces personnel . However, the Quebec Superior Court on Wednesday, slapped down a legal challenge by ruling that the fence is both legal and justified under the Canadian Constitution. Judge Gilles Blanchet acknowledged that the Summit's security measures breached the Charter of Rights and Freedoms but were necessary to protect citizens and Summit participants.
Quebec City has been transformed by barricades and shuttered store fronts as storekeepers anticipate trouble in a usually tranquil city.
On Wednesday, Quebec police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested six persons including two soldiers and seized smoke bombs, slingshots and gas masks as well as pyrotechnic devices which the military uses to simulate grenades during combat exercises. They were charged with conspiracy to commit mischief likely to endanger life and possession of explosive substances with intent to use them.
Authorities are also battling to keep eyes focused on the opportunities provided by hemispheric integration and a free trade agreement. Specific details of trade negotiations are not expected to be discussed at the Summit but Heads of Government are to examine a proposal to incorporate a democratic clause in the final agreement.
