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Zapatistas going to visit Mexico City
Summary: The Zapatistas (EZLN) having pulled out of the
peace talks with the Mexican government have declared
their intention to travel from the jungle of Chiapas to
Mexico City to have a national dialogue. In this event it
is likely the state will try to arrest/kill the delegates
as the peace treaty does not allow 'guarantee' their
safety outside Chiapas.
The documents below outline the reasons for pulling out of
the peace talks and asks national and international 'civil
society' to help protect the EZLN delegates from the
government. Further details of the current Red Alert and
background information about the rebellion in Chiapas can
be found at http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/3102/
- ********** Text begins ***************
Mexico City, September 24, 1996
FOR A TRUE NATIONAL DIALOGUE WITH THE ZAPATISTAS IN MEXICO
CITY!
To national and international civic society; To the
committees, collectives, organizations and solidarity
groups with the Zapatista struggle; To the participants to
the first Intercontinental Encounter for Humanity and
against Neoliberalism:
As is generaly known, last August 29th as a result of the
consultation with its communities, the Indigenous
Revolutionary Clandestine Committee-General Command of the
Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) decided to
suspend its participation in the Dialogue at San Andres
Sacam'chen de los Pobres, in view of the fact that the
government had made the dialogue into a farce.
The principal reasons for the suspension of the dialogue
were explained in a communique of the CCRI-CG of the EZLN
on that date, of which we extract the following;
In regards to the Dialogue at San Andres:
In regards to Theme I, "Indigenous Rights and Culture":
"The EZLN accepted the agreements with the objective of
demonstrating to indigenous communities, the Mexican
national and international public opinion, that the
government does not want to solve in a profound way the
national indigenous situation. The government manifests a
disposition to do it, but in no way is it willing to
radically modify the relation between the nation and
indigenous Mexicans."
" The Verification and Implementation Commission,
fundamental base for the completion of the agreements
continues to be non existent."
In regards to Table 2, "Democracy and Justice": "During
all the development of the so-called "Table 2 of Democracy
and Justice" the government delegation based its
negotiation strategy on intransigence and obstinacy.
Committed to the failure of the negotiation of this theme,
the government looks to reduce the table on Democracy and
Justice, first to local questions, and then to abstract
declarations...By ratifying its intransigence without even
discussion of any fundamental themes of the political life
of the country...the government ratified its actual
politics in terms of indigenous people: omnipotence,
racism and intolerance."
In regards to the alleged Zapatista prisoners; "With the
sentence to the alleged Zapatistas in Yanga [Veracruz, as
well as prisoners in REclusorio Norte of Mexico City], the
federal government insists upon treating the EZLN as
though it were a band of delinquents which is being
entertained at a negotiations process at the same time
that it is being hit and that terror is seeded among all
those who have anything to do with Zapatismo."
In regards to the "state of law" in Chiapas; "In the
northern part of the state, a de facto power which has
nothing to do with a "state of legality" functions. It is
not a power of the federal or state government, of the
military, or of the EZLN; in the northern part of Chiapas
the brutality of a civil war which can no longer remain
hidden governs...the real governors of Chiapas (the
military) follow their plans of annihilating not only
Zapatistas, but any person who rebels and has dignity in
these lands of the southeast...it has increased troop
presence and its technical quality has improved as has the
composition of its soldiers...The rumors of an imminent
action against the Zapatistas are uncontrollable...as a
response to the actions of the EPR."
The Zapatistas have stated the minimal conditions
necessary in order to return to the Dialogue to the
government;
-Until conditions exist which guarantee the will of the
government for an inclusive, serious and political
solution.
-Liberation of all the alleged Zapatistas now imprisoned
and of the Zapatista support bases which have been
detained in the northern part of Chiapas.
-A government delegation which has the capacity to make
decisions and the political will to negotiate respectfully
with the Zapatista delegation.
-The installation of a Verification and Implementation
Commission and the implementation of the first agreements
made in the table of "Indigenous Rights and Culture".
-Serious and concrete proposals of agreement for the table
of "democracy and justice" and a commitment to achieve
agreements with this theme.
-An end to the climate of military and police persecution
against the indigenous people of Chiapas and the
disappearance of the white guards (or a law which gives
them institutional recognition and uniforms so that they
cannot operate with impunity).
The response of the Mexican government to this action of
Zapatismo, as well as to the increased expression of
social discontent which spreads throught the nation, has
been an increase in repressive measures of which the most
salient and serious are; the militarization of large areas
of the nation, the persecution and jailing of the leaders
and political and social militants, and the closing of the
spaces for dialogue and negotiation.
In this context the efforts of different popular and
democratic organizations develop in order to impede
militarization and to avoid the imposition of war. In the
next weeks, these efforts should focus upon two actions
which will take place in Mexico City in which the presence
of the EZLN should be won and guaranteed by all of us.
>From October 8-12 the Indigenous National Congress will
take place; among the organizers of this Congress is the
EZLN; the right of a Zapatista delegation to attend in
Mexico City should be respected by the government.
Following the Congress in Mexico City as well there will
be a National Dialogue for Peace in Mexico, in which it is
expected all the political and social actors may
participate in strengthening the political option in the
struggle for peace in a transition to democracy which
includes the Zapatistas.
In order that the EZLN delegates may attend these events,
international and national civic society should organize a
peace cordon which will protect our Zapatista brothers and
which will allow them to travel from their positions in
the mountains of the jungle to the city of Mexico.
Their travel to the capital of the country will begin on
October 5th. Before, during and after their stay in
Mexico City, there are various tasks and support which we
will need in order to guarantee the security of the
Zapatista delegation. Among the important ones are;
-Public events and pronouncements of support as well as
signature campaigns in support of a true national dialogue
with the participation of the EZLN, in Mexico City (text
is attached).
-The presence of observers from national and international
organizations during the trip of the EZLN delgation to
Mexico City, during their stay in the city and their
return to their communities.
-Participation in the peace cordon which will surround and
protect the Zapatista delegation at all times.
-Financial support for the expenses of all these actions,
through donations which can be deposited in account number
6746497, Banamex, branch 0532, in the name of Miguel Angel
Lopez Diaz.
To register for the peace cordon and for more information
about other ways of participating please call:
The Special Promotion Commission of the Zapatista Front of
National Liberation, Calle Zapotecos 7 bis, Colonia
Obrera, CP 68000, Mexico, DF: Telephone and fax: 761 42
36. <A
HREF="mailto:flores@spin.com.mx">flores@spin.com.mx</a>.
Home page: http://spin.com.mx/~floresu/FZLN/
International Commission of the Special Promotional
Commission of the FZLN: email: 74174.1671@compuserve.com.
Telephone and fax: 606 14 34 and 515 85 25.
Basic text for public declarations and signature
campaigns:
FOR A TRUE NATIONAL DIALOGUE, WE INVITE THE EZLN TO MEXICO
CITY
Under the slogan "Never a Mexico without us", the National
Indigenous Congress will take place in Mexico City on
October 8-12 of 1996. The organizers have already extended
a public invitation to the Indigenous Revolutionary
Clandestine Committee-General Command of the Zapatista
Army of National Liberation in order that a delegation
from the EZLN be present at the Congress.
The organizations and people signed below manifest our
support to the realization of the National Indigenous
Congress and we inform national and international public
opinion that we have already begun the tasks necessary to
make possible the presence of an EZLN delgation in Mexico
City.
In view of the government simulation which caused the
suspension of the Dialogue at San Andres and the worsening
of the conflicts in Chiapas; before the absence of
authentic and effective space for dialogue as means of
solution for the problems of the country; before the
continuity of a political economy which continues the
militarization and the repression, while the transition to
democracy is postponed and sabotaged, the presence of the
Zapatista delegation will give an opportunity to reclaim
the reflection which was initiated in the Special forum
for the Reform of the State in San Cristobal de las Casas
and begin a true National Dialogue in the capital of the
country, with the participation of the principal social
and political actors from all the corners of the country;
it will signify a new opportunity to mobilize the
conscience and the energy of civil society so it may open
a different path to the militarization and the
hopelessness in which Mexico is sinking, before it is too
late.
We call upon the Mexican government to listen to the
demands for a true dialogue and to respect the guarantees
of free transit established in the Mexican Constitution
and in the Law of Concordance and Pacification.
Above all we call upon social organizations, both civil
and political, upon workers, farmers, indigenous people,
housewives, students, intellectuals and artists, men and
women, the old and the young, to support the National
Indigenous Congress and to join the invitation to the EZLN
to go to the city of Mexico and help with the task of the
protection of its delegation.
Translated by: National Center for Democracy, Liberty and
Justice.
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Find out about the Revolution in Mexico
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/3102/
This summer 4,000 people from 43 countries met
"for Humanity and against neoliberalism" there
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/3849/gatherdx.html