The 1999 WTO meeting in Seattle ended without agreement after some of the biggest street protests in the US since the Vietnam War. The WTO plan has been slammed as outrageous by Friends of the Earth and leading human rights groups. Now we know the lengths it will go to to avoid public scrutiny. The WTO can't avoid public protests by holding a meeting in a country that doesn't allow public protest. The Government does not allow political parties or membership in international professional organizations critical of the Government or of any other Arab government Private social, sports, trade, professional, and cultural societies must be registered with the Government.
Security forces monitor the activities of such groups.