AP Worldstream / By BUSABA SIVASOMBOON
BANGKOK, Thailand -- Security was tightened around a major U.N. trade conference Wednesday for an appearance by World Trade Organization chief Mike Moore.
Police thoroughly searched the bags of reporters and delegates attending Moore's speech, the highlight of Wednesday's session of the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development.
U.N. security officials and Thai police said there had been no real threats against Moore, but they were keen to avoid a repeat of Sunday's embarrassment where a pie was thrown in the face of the International Monetary Fund chief.
"I'm unaware of any threat against Mike Moore this morning, really," said Janick Mangain, UNCTAD's security chief. "We've increased security a bit to avoid any incident with a chocolate cake."
Moore gave his speech without incident, offering no new initiatives but repeating his appeal for wealthy nations to open their markets to goods from poor countries in a gesture to help launch a new round of world trade negotiations.
Speaking with reporters afterwards, Moore joked: "I thought the security there was to protect the people from me, actually."
He added that it was up to local authorities to decide on the necessary level of security and he never questioned it.
Officials have been on edge since an American anti-free trade activist accredited to the conference threw a pie Monday at outgoing IMF boss Michel Camdessus, who was unhurt.
Camdessus and Moore are hate figures for some critics of the world trade system who see the organizations they head as simply cementing the economic power rich countries, particularly the United States, hold over the world's poor nations.
Those feelings erupted into violent street protests in Seattle last year when the WTO tried but failed to launch a new round of international trade talks to define commerce in the globalized age.
Hundreds of mostly Thai protesters, joined by some veterans of Seattle, have gathered daily near the conference center. But there have been only the mildest of confrontations with police.
Fearing terrorism or Seattle-style anarchy, Thailand has deployed more than 6,000 police officers to handle security during the conference.
Thai police confirmed that that Algerian officials have asked for special protection for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who gives a speech Friday. Bouteflika is facing down a bloody Islamic insurgency in his North African country.
Copyright 2000 Associated Press:
