Police ring-fence summit area

Protesters hung banners on the security fence

Canadian police and troops have ring-fenced an area of Quebec city to try to prevent disruption like that caused by anti-globalisation protesters at the Seattle summit

About 6,700 police officers and 1,200 troops were deployed in advance of the summit, at which 34 hemispheric leaders are expected.

The area where the conference will take place has been encircled by a three-meter (10-foot) high, 3.8-kilometer (2.4-mile) wire fence that protesters have compared to the Berlin Wall.

"They can protest but they don't have to be in the lobby with you," Canada's Prime Minister Jean Chretien said of the demonstrators.

Non-violent protests

Three separate demonstrations took place on Thursday night, a day before the three-day summit was due to open.

None attracted more than about 1,000 people, and all three were peaceful.

Some protesters saw the fence as a challenge, not a barrier

Canadian police said they were "happy" that protests had not been violent so far.

"We hope that it will be as quiet today," Royal Canadian Mounted Police Constable Michael Blackburn told the Associated Press.

Activists fear that the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) - a huge free trade zone stretching from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego - will lead to job losses and weaken local democracy.

International anti-globalisation protests

Anti-globalisation groups such as Stop the FTAA and A20 plan simultanous protests across the United States and Canada during the summit.

Mr Bove got special permission to attend demonstrations

French activist Jose Bove, who first became famous for attacking a McDonald's restaurant, has been given special permission to enter Canada for demonstrations.

He urged activists to fight the spread of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and said that activists sometimes had to resort to illegal means "so that the rights of people are respected".

Quebec authorities have already arrested some demonstrators who they say were planning on violent protests.

Ambitious scheme

The proposal to extend the already existing Nafta free trade area - which links the US, Canada and Mexico - is one of the biggest and boldest ideas ever in the annals of commerce.

The FTAA would encompass nearly all the countries of the Americas, with a combined population of 800 million who produce goods and services totalling $11.4 trillion - bigger than the European Union.

The plan would eliminate or lower tariffs on goods moving between countries. It would also streamline customs regulations, eliminate quotas and subsidies and remove other impediments to trade.

And while the FTAA is just one part in the talks to take place this weekend, it is the most important issue for trade officials and protestors who have travelled to Quebec to voice their concerns.