Protests outside peace summit
28/11/2007 09:06  - (SA)  

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Annapolis - More than 100 activists demonstrated outside the US Naval Academy gates on Tuesday, offering their very public take on the Israeli-Palestinian dispute as diplomats met inside to chart a course toward peace.

The rallies ran the gamut from a costumed protester mocking Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to a peace activist who was hopeful the talks would foster further peace negotiations such as those outlined by President George W Bush, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

"We need to make sure that their voices can be heard thousands of miles away," said Erin Pineda of OneVoice Movement, which supports Israeli-Palestinian efforts leading to a Palestinian state.

Officer Kevin Freeman, a spokesperson for the Annapolis Police Department, said there were no arrests during demonstrations. "Everything went very smoothly," he said. "There were no conflicts with police."

Edgar Moreno, assistant director of domestic operations for diplomatic security at the US State Department, said there were no problems in Annapolis. "Everything went well," he said.

The demonstrations in chilly, blustery downtown Annapolis were lightly attended compared with the tens of thousands of Palestinians in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip who rallied on Tuesday in opposition to the conference.

The one-day Annapolis conference was officially announced only a week in advance. The tight schedule and short notice made it difficult for interest groups to rally large numbers of people.

Authorities, including officers from the city and the Maryland State Police, stood by to make sure the demonstrations were orderly.

When demonstrators marched from St Anne's to the historic City Dock, they encountered rival protesters and several shouting matches broke out. The different groups soon went their separate ways and the formal demonstrations were over by mid-afternoon.

After the daylong portion of the conference held at the academy ended on Tuesday evening, authorities reopened streets near the campus.

- AP

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