Conflicts over Apec begin

Top ministers from 21 economies ringing the Pacific Ocean gathered in Chile to convene high-level talks on free trade and global security as university students clashed with police to protest against the summit and weekend visit of United States President George W. Bush.

Police in Chile's second-biggest city of Valparaiso used tear gas and water trucks to disperse scores of masked protesters who threw Molotov cocktails and burned an American flag.

More demonstrations against the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum are planned throughout the week.