The Associated Press
Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2000; 9:23 p.m. EDT

UNITED NATIONS –– Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader told a U.N. meeting of grass-roots organizations Wednesday that multinational corporations are the biggest threat to democracies today.

Corporations concentrate power and wealth in the hands of the few at the expense of the many, Nader told the closing session of the annual U.N. conference of non-governmental organizations that is being held ahead of the U.N. Millennium Summit next week.

Naming tobacco, pharmaceutical and banking industries, the longtime consumer advocate said corporations exert too much control over governments, threatening them with ultimatums and the loss of access to markets.

"In my judgment and the judgment of many ... the global corporation is now the major threat to democratic processes in our world," he said.

Recent polls have given Nader, who has supporters among American environmentalists, labor unions and foes of the World Trade Organization, between 4 percent and 6 percent support.

Nader didn't mention his Republican or Democratic challengers in his speech.