Protesters target IMF meeting

World leaders may face mass demonstrations

Campaigners from around the world are targeting the spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank in Washington to launch a series of demonstrations and protests.

They are hoping to repeat the success of the demonstrations at the world trade talks in Seattle in December, which succeeded in disrupting the meeting, which ultimately collapsed without agreement.

A mass protest is planned

The same coalition of activists - including trade unions, environmental groups, and development activists - are expected to converge on Washington during the coming week.

On Sunday the held a mass demonstration and rock concert to "raise consciousness about globalisation."

Later in the week, a demonstration of trade unionists opposed to a US trade deal with China will take to the streets.

Also, non-violent direct action around the world is being planned for Sunday 16 April when the IMF and World Bank spring meetings formally open.

The IMF acting managing director, Stanley Fisher, met environment and develop groups in March to try and convince them that the organisation was sympathetic to their concerns.

Repeat of Seattle

The protesters are well prepared, using a series of websites to mobilise protest around the world.

They plan a blockade of the main IMF/World Bank headquarters and mass protests throughout Washington and major world capitals.

Protestors say IMF polices harm the poor

One group is even trying to organise a boycott of bonds issued by the World Bank on global capital markets to fund its opposition, with some US local governments pledging not to buy the bonds.

The Washington police say they will avoid the mistakes made by the authorities in Seattle, who allowed the demonstrators to gain control of the streets and postpone the opening session.

Police chief Charles Ramsey says his forces have spent $1m on riot gear and training, and there will be no repeat of the 1960s, when Washington was paralysed by anti-Vietnam War demonstrations.

Out of favour

The world's leading financial institutions have come under increasing criticism for being undemocratic, unaccountable, and too willing to favour the interests of large companies and banks at the expense of the poor in developing countries.

US unions fear trade with China will cost jobs

They have also come under attack for mismanaging the Asian financial crisis, reneging on commitments on debt relief, and putting forward policies that harm the environment.

Later in the week, UK Chancellor Gordon Brown will attempt to persuade fellow finance ministers to speed up plans to forgive the debts of the world's poorest countries as part of the Jubilee 2000 campaign.

Already an influential report by Professor Allen Meltzer, which has the backing of US Congressional Republicans, has called for a radical scaling down of the operations of the World Bank and IMF.

An unseemly squabble between the United States and Europe over the next head the IMF has also damaged the credibility of the organisation.

The US blocked the first candidate proposed by Germany, deputy finance minister Caio Koch-Weiser, and only belatedly agreed to another German, Hans Kohler, the head of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, after a serious diplomatic row.

Nothing for poor countries

Meanwhile, hopes that poor countries would be given a bigger say in the global economic system have been dashed again.

The World Bank and IMF have been working behind the scence on a proposal to ensure that the world's 58 poorest countries can gain tariff-free access to Western markets.

But the United States administration, frightened by a protectionist backlash in Congress in an election year, has been quietly sabotaging the proposals, aided and abetted by Japan and France.

The US is opposed to developing countries' textile and clothing exports gaining free access to US markets, while France and Japan fear exports of agricultural products from the Third World.