Police in New York City are closing streets and erecting concrete barricades in preparation for the World Economic Forum gathering of top business and political leaders.

The five-day meeting starts Thursday at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Authorities have tightened security around the hotel, partly in an effort to prevent violent street clashes between police and protesters, who have disrupted previous meetings of the Forum.

Groups of police stood watch below ground in subway stations and hundreds more - some wearing riot gear - were posted on the streets. People walking near the Waldorf Astoria had to show photo identification.

Anti-globalization groups planning demonstrations at the World Economic Forum have accused police of exaggerating possible violence as an excuse to crack down on the Forum's critics.

The meeting in New York will bring together heads of state, top corporate leaders, cabinet ministers and representatives of non-governmental agencies. They will focus on conflict resolution and the global economy.

After more than three decades of meeting in the Swiss resort town of Davos, the gathering was moved to New York to show support for the city after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.

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