WASHINGTON, Sept 27: World financial leaders, gathered here for the annual World Bank and International Monetary Fund meeting, were greeted on Friday by hundreds of activists demanding better policies for developing nations.

Loren Finkelstein, a spokeswoman for the Mobilization for Global Justice, said she saw this year’s demonstrations as an opportunity to express the fact that the injustice America felt on Sept 11 was felt by people all over the world every day.

“The policies of the IMF and the World Bank create situations that are just as harmful to peoples’ lives,” she said.

The group is calling for the IMF and the World Bank to open their meetings to the public and the media. Activists say that because the meetings are closed, the institutions are unaccountable to the public.

They are also demanding that the institutions give debt relief to poor countries that can’t repay their loans to the World Bank.

“(They) have created a situation where it would be impossible for those countries to pay them back and support the welfare of their people at the same time,” said Finkelstein.

In preparation, up to 1,700 police officers arrived from Illinois, New York and Georgia. All 3,650 of Washington’s Metropolitan Police force were working 12-hour shifts, patrolling neighbourhoods.

Washington Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey said they would set up a fenced perimeter around the World Bank and IMF headquarters.

Police issued a “citizen advisory”, telling commuters to expect significant delays in getting to work.

Many of these preparations were in response to some activist organizations that have vowed to prevent government and downtown companies from doing business on Friday by blocking intersections and subway stations.

Others vowed to “quarantine” IMF and World Bank representatives in their building and not let them leave the meetings on Saturday.