About 10,000 security personnel are ready for thousands of protesters who will march against President Bush and U.S. policies at the Americas Summit in Mar del Plata, Argentina.

BY MEI-LING HOPGOOD
Special to The Herald

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina - President Bush's appearance at a summit here of leaders from Argentina to Canada got off to a tense start Thursday amid plans for protests by critics ranging from soccer superstar Diego Maradona to American antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan.

About 10,000 police, soldiers and other security personnel have converted this popular beach vacation spot into a maze of security checkpoints and barricades to keep protesters away from the two-day Summit of the Americas.

Almost all the planned protests are directed at Bush, his policies in Iraq and his alleged neglect of Latin American issues, and against the establishment of the U.S.-backed Free Trade Area of the Americas. A recent Zogby poll of media, academic and government leaders rated Bush the least popular president in the Americas. A BBC poll earlier this year found that 79 percent of Argentines surveyed and 78 percent of Brazilians said Bush's reelection was bad for world security.

Among the thousands of protesters expected were Maradona, now an outspoken supporter of Cuba's Fidel Castro. The Associated Press reported that Sheehan -- who became a symbol of U.S. opposition to the war in Iraq after her soldier son was killed there -- was also expected to join the street demonstrations.

''We will be in every neighborhood and on every corner,'' predicted sociologist Clara Algranati, 31. Protest organizers are hoping that tens of thousands will show up Friday and insist that their demonstrations will be peaceful.

BUSH `PUBLIC ENEMY'

Extreme leftist groups already set off small explosives last month near Blockbuster, Citibank, BankBoston and Ford Motor locations in Buenos Aires province to protest the Bush visit. In Brazil, which Bush will visit after the two-day summit, thousands carrying signs that called Bush ''Public Enemy Number One'' protested outside the U.S. Embassy Thursday.

As Bush's plane approached the Argentine shore late Thursday, a small group of marchers beat drums and exploded firecrackers.

Fearing the worst, restaurant and shop owners closed their businesses or boarded up windows in this city 250 miles south of the capital, Buenos Aires. Many of the city's 600,000 residents already have left town.

''What amazing chaos,'' said taxi driver Roberto Almirón, 45. ``On one hand, many foreigners are coming here, getting to know the city. If the summit would not have come, they wouldn't have made all these repairs in the city.

''But generally, the people of Mar del Plata feel invaded,'' he said.

Argentine officials expressed confidence that the protests would not be violent and that they had secured the safety of citizens here, as well as the presidents, dignitaries, journalists and others attending the fourth Summit of the Americas or the alternative ''People's Summit'' in Buenos Aires.

Deputy Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana said last week that the issue of security is ''complex,'' but that they are taking every precaution.

Security forces are monitoring the summit from the land, air and sea. For the last two months, U.S. intelligence teams have been securing the area around the Sheraton Hotel where the U.S. delegation is staying, Mar del Plata officials said.

The U.S. government also has loaned Argentina missiles to protect against the threat of attack from airplanes, an action that has caused much concern among Argentines.

Police have gated off a 420-acre secure zone in the main beach district of downtown Mar del Plata. The scenic roadway that skirts the Atlantic Ocean will be shut down until Sunday.

The scheduled protests, which will begin today at 7 a.m., will include Bolivian presidential candidate Evo Morales and Cuban singer Silvio Rodríguez -- one of about 300 Cubans attending the People's Summit.

CUBA EXCLUDED

Cuba was not invited to the summit, organized by the Organization of American States.

Today's protests are expected to peak with a noon address by leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, who has vigorously criticized Bush and his policies. Sheehan may attend with other families of soldiers killed in the Iraq war, according to media reports.

Chávez and organizers of the People's Summit, and others have called for peaceful marches. But the protests are expected to draw a large number of piqueteros, militant Argentine protesters who almost daily shut down highways and bridges in this country of 39 million to press their demands for jobs and other benefits.

Additionally, many Argentines fear terrorism, especially with the U.S. president in town. In Buenos Aires this week, subway workers refused to work for fear of attacks.

''We don't want [Bush] to come,'' said Elizabeth Carrizo, 50, of Corrientes, who attended a protest in Buenos Aires before Bush's arrival. ``Anything could happen.''

Despite worries and inconveniences, some local political and business officials still argue that the summit is a great opportunity to show off the city, which attracts mostly Argentine tourists. They also welcome the $30 million spent by the federal government on security measures, road and bridge repairs, enhanced lighting and other improvements, according to city spokesman Gonzalo Alfonso.

''We won't be able to travel the road along the coast for two days and we'll have to show credentials when we go into our neighborhoods,'' said Eduardo Pezzati, president of the city's chamber of commerce. ``But, well, nothing is free. We'll have 1,500 foreign journalists walking our boardwalk. Not many cities are privileged enough to host a summit like this.''