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December 3, 1999
Web posted at: 1:27 p.m. EST (1827 GMT)

SEATTLE (CNN) -- World trade ministers faced a final day of deal-making on Friday, after three turbulent days of protests by free-trade opponents.

Faced with the deadline of Friday's end to the World Trade Organization meeting, trade officials were trying to work out agreements on the thorny issues of labor standards, biotechnology and tariffs.

On Thursday, up to 3,000 chanting demonstrators marched to protest the impact of free trade deals on the environment and jobs. The march was in sharp contrast to the tear-gas-shrouded clashes with police that ended just hours earlier.

VIDEO Demonstrators come from various walks of life, as CNN's Don Knapp reports. (December 2) Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K To view the latest video streams on the WTO conference and protests, use the arrow buttons below to scroll through the video gallery.    Windows Media Real    28 K 80 K     RESOURCES What's the big deal about the WTO? CNNfn Special Report: WTO meeting     Image Gallery WTO protesters and police clash in Seattle     QUICK VOTE Vote on the U.S. actions regarding the WTO How do you think the violence in Seattle will affect the cause of the WTO protesters?     ALSO Seattle protests seen through other eyes WTO protests awaken '60s-style activism Editorials: Chaos at WTO talks reflects public mistrust     MESSAGE BOARD WTO

Army National Guard troops had been called up because of the civil disturbances, and more than 160 active duty military personnel, including a small number of Special Forces troops, were on hand, sent by the Defense Department, to help keep the peace.

The military mission, according to the Pentagon, was to "provide support" to the FBI, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Secret Service and other government agencies responsible for security. The military specialists were avilable to provide expertise and assist in coordinating a federal response in the event of a terrorist attack during such a high-profile event.

According to Defense Department documents obtained by CNN, 131 U.S. Army, 27 U.S. Air Force, and eight U.S. Navy personnel were sent to Seattle to perform roles from ordnance disposal to standing by for possible chemical or biological attack by terrorist groups.

Four special forces troops from the Joint Special Operations Task Force were deployed to Seattle to be on hand to advise FBI "crisis support" agents in the event of a catastrophic terrorist event involving chemical or biological weapons or hostage taking. Two of the four special operations experts have since left the city, according to an informed Pentagon official who spoke on the condition that he not be named.

Protesters said that countries should be allowed to set environmental and labor standards on goods they import, a position rejected by some WTO members as trade barriers by another name.

Despite the delay caused by the protests, U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky made it clear to delegates the meeting would wrap up on time by 6 p.m. PST (9 p.m. EST) Friday.

World Trade Organization spokesman Keith Rockwell said delegates had made progress on a variety of fronts, but noted that the talks were still at a delicate stage. "Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed," Rockwell said. "Never underestimate the potential for breakdown."

Under the ground rules for the meeting, when agreements in individual areas are completed, they go to Barshefsky -- as chair of the meeting -- and are then subject to final horse trading.

Rockwell said Singapore Trade Minister George Yeo, trying to bring an unruly dispute over farm subsidies into order, sent a draft agreement on agricultural trade to Barshefsky.

But the European Union said it rejected proposals in the draft that the new trade round work toward reducing and eventually eliminating the farm subsidies.

In a dispute over labor standards, a key issue for protesters in the streets, the United States agreed to an EU proposal to set up a forum outside the WTO to discuss the issue. But that proposal was rejected by India and other developing countries, who see cheap labor as one of their few trading advantages.

African countries complained they had been shut out of the discussions and threatened not to sign any deal. "We reject the approach that is being employed and we must point out that, under the present circumstances, we will not be able to join the consensus," the Organization of African Unity said in a statement.

The European Union agreed to setting up a working group to discuss biotechnology, a key demand of the United States in its effort to sell genetically engineered foods to unwilling Europeans. The development was a step backward for environmental protesters in the streets outside.

There were also advances in preempting tariffs in the nascent electronic commerce sector and in a dispute over including U.S. anti-dumping laws in the new trade round.

The violence of the past few days has caused an estimated $2 million in damage and has cost downtown retailers $7 million in lost sales so far. It also marred a visit to the normally placid port city by President Clinton, who left on Thursday.

Early Thursday, riot police fired tear gas at demonstrators from Seattle's Capitol Hill area; running battles broke out downtown on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, about 30,000 protesters prevented the ministers from holding their opening ceremony with mass marches that later broke down into looting and clashes with the police.

National Security Producer Chris Plante, and Reuters contributed to this report.

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