Protesters clashed with riot police in Mexico's beach resort of Cancun on Wednesday as ministers opened global trade talks intended to bridge a yawning gap between rich and poor states.
Thousands of anti-capitalism activists protested near themeeting of the World Trade Organization, or WTO, and about twodozen broke through eight-foot-high metal barriersto attack police on the edge of Cancun's flashy hotel zone.
They broke up paving stones and threw large chunks at thepolice, who fought back with batons.
Tear gas filled the air but there were no serious injuriesin the fighting, although one South Korean protester earlierstabbed himself and was taken away for medical treatment.
Guarded by riot police and even Navy ships patrolling thecoast, the 146-nation WTO opened a five-day meeting trying tofind compromise on a host of disputes, topped by massiveagricultural subsidies in the United States and Europe.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called on the richestnations to scrap those handouts.
"Sadly, the reality of the international trading systemtoday does not match the rhetoric. Instead of open markets,there are too many barriers that stunt, stifle and starve,"Annan said in a speech read out on his behalf.
"These barriers and subsidies in developed countries mustbe phased out, as fast as possible, for the sake of humanity."
About 5,000 Mexican peasants and foreign activists joined amarch to protest against what they and many critics say is anunfair world trade system tilted against developing countries.
Across town, WTO Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdiopened the meeting by saying the weak world economy needed astrong message from ministers in favor of freer trade.
The 4,700 delegates fear a repeat of a their meeting inSeattle in 1999 that ended in deadlock at the table and riotingin the streets. The WTO has still to get over that debacle.
The aim of this week's meeting is to revive talks thatstarted two years ago in the Qatari capital, Doha, and are dueto end with a comprehensive agreement by the end of 2004.
The World Bank says a deal that removes barriers to tradein farm and other goods could add $500 billion a year to worldincome by 2015, lifting 144 million people out of poverty.
At the heart of the negotiations is agriculture.
Poor countries want rich states to cut the $300 billionin subsidies they give to their farmers each year - six timesmore than they provide in development aid.
Because of these handouts and high tariffs, poor countriessay they are shut out of rich-country markets and undercut athome by heavily subsidized exports from the European Union andthe United States in particular.
A group of 21 developing states, including China, India,Brazil and Cuba, have formed an alliance to demand that richcountries scrap the farm handouts they say condemn millions oftheir farmers to poverty.
The United States and the European Union reject the demandas impracticable, but are under enormous pressure to improveoffers they have already made to reduce farm subsidies.