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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