Police, protesters push at Canadian summit

MONTEBELLO, Quebec, Aug 20 (Reuters) Several hundred protesters and riot police squared off today outside a posh Canadian resort where North American leaders are meeting to discuss trade, security and turmoil in global credit markets.

A small group of young demonstrators, dressed in black with their faces covered by kerchiefs, pushed up against police in riot gear and gas masks, who pushed back and later fired tear gas. Some projectiles were also thrown at police.

No arrests were reported, but the scene remained tense.

Other demonstrators urged the crowd to back away from police lines, with the protesters breaking into groups favoring confrontation and those against it.

The several hundred protesters began arriving in a convoy of school buses in Montebello, Quebec, shortly before the arrival of US President George W Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderon.

They were confronted by a 10-foot high fence that had been erected around the summit site, the Chateau Montebello resort, located about 70 km (40 miles) east of Ottawa.

The protesters represented a variety of political causes, but many are upset about the three leaders' plan to discuss what they have called the Security and Prosperity Partnership, or SPP.

The plan was drafted in 2005 to ensure North America is a safe place to live and do business, but critics on the left and right say it ignores the concerns of ordinary citizens and is a threat to national sovereignty.

''One of the main things we are aiming for is to force the leaders to make these meetings more transparent,'' said Alberto Arroyo, a spokesman for the Red Mexicana de Accion Frente al Libre Comercio (Mexican network against free trade).

Most of the demonstrators appeared to be from Canada.

''As far as I'm concerned George Bush is a war criminal and shouldn't be allowed in Canada,'' said Rolf Gerstenberger, 57, a union activist from Hamilton, Ontario.

One protest sign read: ''There are no smart borders only idiot nations.'' The buildings where leaders were meeting are not visible from the protest site, but those at the resort will be able to view the demonstrators via a video link that will be broadcast to officials inside the compound.

Reuters CS VP0146