Power supply cut at WTO headquarters in Geneva
(AP) -- Unidentified intruders sabotaged a power unit at the World Trade Organization's headquarters in Geneva early Friday and cut off the building's electricity supply.
(AP) -- Unidentified intruders sabotaged a power unit at the World Trade Organization's headquarters in Geneva early Friday and cut off the building's electricity supply.
Two or three people got into the grounds of the lakeside building at around 6 a.m. (0500 GMT), WTO official Liliane Rastelo said.
They tampered with the building's electricity control panel before escaping. The resulting short circuit and explosion caused a power cut of nearly two hours, Rastelo said, adding that the WTO has now requested round-the-clock security protection.
WTO members are wrapping up four days of negotiations in Seattle that have been marred by violent street protests.
Almost 600 people have been arrested there since demonstrators who view the 135-member WTO as a global menace successfully disrupted the meeting.
"It seems to have been an attempt to delay the work of the WTO in Seattle" by disrupting administrative work in Geneva, Rastelo said. "There has been no impact on that work."
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