World

Riots Distract Prague IMF Summit

September 25, 2000 / 10:27 AM EDT / AP

Delegates from the World Bank and IMF meetings assembled inside a convention hall in Prague struggled to give their speeches amid demonstrations by the end of Tuesday's opening ceremony. But no new ones were scheduled for Wednesday.

Raging street protests and plumes of tear gas were tough competition for the droning speeches about debt relief and the war on poverty.

More delegates lined the fourth floor panoramic windows to catch a glimpse of the chaos than were sitting in the cavernous convention hall by the end of Tuesday's opening ceremony for the annual meeting of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

"It is a pity that it has descended into violence," said the summit's chairman, South African finance minister Trevor Manuel.

Manuel was just one of the agency's top officials insisting the demonstrators have it all wrong, that the IMF and World Bank are not the enemies of the world's 2.8 billion poor, but the biggest lenders to poor countries needing cash infusions.

There were no new demonstrations scheduled Wednesday, but there were still plenty of anarchists in town, and police remained on guard outside the convention hall.

Representatives from the 182 assembled nations tried to give their own spin on the protests, saying images of hooded anarchists hurling rocks at black-clad riot police did not taint the image of the Washington-based lending groups.

That's despite the fact turmoil trails their meetings, with anti-globalization activists wreaking havoc at the spring gathering in Washington.

"I don't think the protesters will give the organization a black eye. They're using a negative approach," said Lithuanian representative Vytautus Dudenas, as black smoke from burning barricades mingled with the church spires over the medieval city center.

One of the main goals of the protesters had been to trap the IMF and World Bank delegates inside the convention center, which happened briefly. The fighting hurt at least 69 people, and 44 were hospitalized Tuesday, including 34 police officers who were attacked by wave after wave of protesters.

Police spokeswoman Eva Miklikova said at least 34 people had been detained for investigation of hooliganism and attacking public officials, including 11 Germans, two Poles and one British journalist, who was soon released. The rest were Czechs.

Czech President Vaclav Havel hoped the meetings would be remembered in Prague's thousand-year history as a turning point in "global cooperation."

But with delegates locked inside for their own safety as gangs of protesters battled police within sight of the convention lobby, thoughts turned from meeting agendas to getting home safely.

"It's not comfortable at all for us," said Kunio Matsuda, a scheduler for the Japanese delegation, which was temporarily told not to leave the convention center because of security concerns.

Some delegates eventually stole away on a special evacuation subway, wich picked them up at a station closed to the public.

Officials from the World Bank and IMF have been scrambling to refashion the annual program to place greater emphasis on poverty reduction, hoping to blunt claims that the two giant bureaucracies exist mainly to do the bidding of the rich countries holding a majority of voting shares.

The protesters call globalization a menace to humanity that helps the rich get richer at the expense of the poor and the environment. They are particularly critical of the World Bank and IMF because of the harsh requirements the organizations make when they lend money to poor countries.

"This is a battle for equal justice worldwide," explained a naked Swiss protester, identifying himself only as Rafael.

As global finance leaders opened their annual meeting Tuesday, the head of the World Bank saying he shared the "passion" of demonstrators outside.

As in the past, this year's gathering attracted hundreds of representatives from the world's largest banks, who have been hosting swanky cocktail parties in the ornate splendor of Prague's storybook-like landmarks, hoping to snare business from the finance and development ministers in attendance.

If the protesters are successful at one thing, it could be shattering plans for some of those sideline meetings.

"So far the protest has not interfered. But we could expect our program to be cut short," said Novak Kondic, a finance ministry official from Bosnia-Herzegovina, who had to cancel meetings at the IMF's spring meeting.

In his opening remarks Tuesday, World Bank President James Wolfensohn took note of the estimated 5,000 protesters parading through Prague's cobblestone streets.

"Outside these walls, young people are demonstrating against globalization," he told delegates. "I believe deeply that many of them are asking legitimate questions, and I embrace the commitment of a new generation to fight poverty. I share their passion and their questioning."

But some delegates said that's not enough and expressed sympathy for the protesters battling in the streets.

"It helps bring the cause to the forefront and helps public opinion in the countries where it matters," said Mawampanga Mwana Nanga, IMF governor from the Congo, a country buried in $18 billion in foreign debt.