Summit of the Americas

By Jamie Coomarasamy BBC News, Mar del Plata

The summit is a chance for the US to reassert itself

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is licking his lips in anticipation of what he has predicted will be a "delicious debate".

The US government may not see it in quite those terms, but discussions are likely to be lively as leaders from 34 nations meet in Argentina over the next two days.

Much of the debate will centre on how to meet the goal of the fourth Summit of the Americas: "Creating jobs to fight poverty and strengthen democratic governance".

American officials want to steer the discussion away from the Venezuelan leader - National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said the summit "is not about Chavez" at pre-summit briefings.

But they are aware the US will be pitching its vision of how to alleviate regional poverty, against that of the man who has largely replaced Fidel Castro as Washington's regional bugbear.

In his keynote speech, US President George Bush will argue that the way to guarantee prosperity is by encouraging free trade and a flourishing private sector - and by deepening democracy - although he has acknowledged that efforts to form a Free Trade Area of the Americas have stalled.

Mr Bush will be calling for the other participating countries to demonstrate a commitment to those principles, but he also hopes to demonstrate Washington's commitment to its closest neighbours.

This is the president's first visit to the region since his re-election a year ago.

Following the attacks of 11 September 2001, the perception has grown that - in concentrating so much of its diplomatic energy on the Middle East - the US government has neglected its own backyard.

Economic problems

Whether justified or not, that perception has been to the advantage of Hugo Chavez, who has filled the void with a steady stream of populist, anti-American rhetoric and real offers of economic help to his neighbours, thanks to his country's abundance of oil.

And - with left-leaning governments mushrooming in the region - Mr Bush will be aware that it's becoming an increasingly difficult place to sell the US' vision of how to close the poverty gap.

The Chavez vision is not viewed in exclusively positive terms.

But the Venezuelan leader has tapped into a popular feeling of anger at the "Washington consensus" - the sort of measures which the IMF and other international finance organisations encouraged Latin American countries to adopt.

Those policies are blamed for the economic problems which have resulted in the average GDP in the region being $3,200 - less than a tenth of that of the US.

The Venezuelan leader will be addressing the demonstrators who are expected to converge on the resort of Mar Del Plata on Friday; among them the host country's best-known football star turned talk show presenter, Diego Maradona.

They will be bringing with them a list of grievances against the US, from a belief that globalisation hurts the poorest to anger about the war in Iraq.

Protesters rally in Argentina at the Summit of the Americas

Hundred of protesters have run riot in Argentina, throwing rocks at police just blocks away from the opening of a summit attended by 34 Americas leaders.

Groups of demonstrators approached security cordons around the summit, and a bank was set on fire as police fired tear gas to disperse the rioters.

US President George W Bush is one of the leaders present, for discussions which include free trade and poverty.

Mr Bush faces opposition over plans to revive talks on a free trade area.

As the meeting opened, there was no indication that any compromise had been reached.

Venezuela's leader Hugo Chavez told protesters earlier he would bury the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) - and defeat US "imperialism".

Poverty

More than 8,000 police have been drafted in to protect the fourth Americas summit, being held in the Argentine beach town of Mar del Plata.

Only united can we defeat imperialism and bring our people a better life Hugo Chavez In pictures: Summit march

Protests began peacefully, with thousands of demonstrators chanted "Get out Bush".

They marched through boarded-up streets a few kilometres away from the summit venue itself.

Demonstrators included Argentine former football legend Diego Maradona.

But smaller groups armed with wooden clubs and wearing bandanas began burning US flags, throwing stones and petrol bombs, breaking windows and setting fire to shops.

Police used tear gas to disperse them, and slowing pushing them away from the summit area down one of the town's main streets.

Local media reports said 20 demonstrators had been injured in clashes with police.

'Defeat imperialism'

Protesters argue that US-backed free-market policies have pushed millions into poverty in the region.

Addressing their rally in a football stadium, Mr Chavez said: "Here, in Mar del Plata, FTAA will be buried!"

He called for help, saying: "Only united can we defeat imperialism and bring our people a better life."

Diego Maradona and Hugo Chavez criticised US policies

The Venezuelan government has said that it will reject any summit declaration which contains references to free trade in the Americas.

However, Mexico's President Vicente Fox has said 29 of the 34 summit nations are willing to move forward with free trade negotiations without dissenting countries.

Apart from Venezuela, those nations opposed to the creation of a huge free trade zone include Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay.

US interest renewed

The rivalry between Mr Bush and Mr Chavez is expected to dominate the meeting.

Asked at a news conference how he would approach Mr Chavez, Mr Bush replied that he would be "polite".

The BBC's South America correspondent Steve Kingstone says the Mr Chavez' growing influence helps explain Washington's renewed involvement in the region.

Security, democracy and trade are the main areas of interest for the US in Latin America, and on all three counts, Venezuela's leader is causing concern, our correspondent says.