EDITORIAL
The way to peace in Chiapas continues to be teeming
with ups and downs and contrasting signs and events.
The much yearned for goal, a peace based on justice,
dignity and respect to human rights, is still out of
our sight. In fact, peace is still very precarious.
In the past weeks, the clearest sign in this route
was the resumption of the dialogue between the
leaders of the Zapatista movement and the government
delegates, at San Andres Larrainzar, on April 22.
This first encounter ended a long period of silence
and threats that followed the conclusion of the first
series of dialogues held in the San Cristobal
Cathedral over a year ago.
The dialogue at San Andres brings hopes for peace,
not for its outcome (rather limited) but simply for
having taken place. In this first round of talks only
the distension measures were initially discussed, but
nonetheless, it is a beginning and greater progresses
are expected from the second meeting scheduled for
May 12.
However, it is necessary to make way for objectivity.
The way must be cleared from lies, half-truths,
concealment or manipulation of the information. It
is a fact that the old vicious practice of
misinforming and concealing of facts continues to be
a hindrance in the path to a true peace. In fact,
this practice seriously jeopardized the realization
of the San Andres meeting. The best example was the
stigmatization of thousands of Indians that wanted to
be present at the meeting. "Acarreados" (the Spanish
term used to refer to a group of people taken to a
certain place, usually against their will, for a
specific purpose) the government called these groups
of Indians, while most of the Mexican media widely
broadcasted the details on this "propagandistic"
activity of the EZLN and the Conai.
Ignorance and lack of respect to the indigenous
cultural traditions were evident at reporting this
episode. The desire to participate --a desire not
limited to Chiapas people-- was again mistaken for
the archaic practice of organizing and taking groups
of people to a certain place for a given purpose --
the "acarreo." There were other indian practices
suffering the disdain of the dominant groups, from
the indigenous concept of time, to democratic
practices such as "commanding by obeying" and that of
consulting with the community represented before
making any important decision.
If this type of repressive attitudes continue to
exist with respect to cultural differences; and if
there is a refusal to recognize and accept different
practices, no genuine peace will be ever possible.
Instead of being open to learn from diversity and
thus be able to build a greater and more unified
nation, what seems to prevail is obstinacy,
stagnation and the proliferation of conflicts like
the one in Chiapas. Instead of progressing to the
solution of the problem or even to a less tensed
situation, what we are experiencing is a hardening
process including its most dangerous expression:
militarization.
Toughness is, in fact, the main obstacle in the path
to peace in Chiapas. Parallel to the resumption of
the dialogue in San Andres, we must point out a
number of adverse signals: the violent eviction of
properties seized by peasants that are still waiting
for the land promised by the 1910 Revolution; a
continued activity by the 'white guards' (mercenaries
paid by the wealthy land owners); harassment and
slandering campaigns against Bishop Samuel Ruiz and
the National Mediation Commission (Conai); and last
but not least, the resumption of military
surveillance flights over the communities known to
support the EZLN. Toughness is also what
characterized the government proposals at the
discussions held at San Andres. A number of analysts
have perceived them as a proposal to surrender even
before starting the negotiation process.
To change this tough attitude for a true disposition
to dialogue and negotiation, seems the prior task to
clear the way to peace. And it is once more evident
that this task demands the participation of all the
society and not only of the negotiating parties. In
fact, it has been the mobilization of the civil
society what has always cleared the way to peace. It
is time to do it again.
CHIAPAS CHRONOLOGY
APRIL 26 - MAY 14 (9??), 1995
APRIL 26
The Secretary of External Affairs, Jose Angel Gurria,
stated that Chiapas lives a war of "inks" of "written
words," an "Internet war" and that there has not been
one single shot in the conflict zone in the past 15
months. He also said that the government and the
Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) are
going to find a constructive solution to the
conflict. Gurria also said that the administration of
Ernesto Zedillo is creating the political, juridical
and legal conditions for the Zapatistas "to feel
comfortable and protected" at the negotiation table.
The creation of "prototype villages" and "civil self-
defense patrols" at the municipalities of Altamirano,
Las Margaritas, Ocosingo and San Andres Larrainzar to
concentrate the EZLN troops and prevent the expansion
of the armed movement, would be the core points in
the government's distension proposal. In exchange,
the federal government would give instructions to
relocate the Mexican Army detachments at a "prudent"
distance from the concentration points.
More than one thousand Tojolabal Indians of the
Independent Central Office of Agricultural Workers
and Peasants (CIOAC) as well as of other
organizations, started a march-caravan that intends
to get to Tuxtla Gutierrez in demand to remove the
PRI town hall authorities headed by Romeo Suarez
Culebro, as well as the creation of a "plural"
municipal council.
According to a U.S. humanitarian group, the
misleading information given by Televisa and
Television Azteca regarding the presence of seven
thousand Indians at San Andres Larrainzar could have
had a "disastrous" effect on the peace process
between the EZLN and the Mexican government. Members
of this group also think that the government
objections to the arrival of indigenous groups "seem
to have responded to incomplete information."
"Pastors for Peace" stated that the government
negotiators had the "wrong idea" that the
mobilization of Indians had been organized by members
of the National Mediation Commission (Conai) and also
that their presence at San Andres was threatening.
However, the members of this humanitarian
organization found no evidence of the Indians having
been organized by an alien group --including the
Conai-- or of any of them being armed. On the
contrary "we consider that their presence was a sign
of their commitment with the peace process."
Although not on purpose, Samuel Ruiz Garcia "has
polarized" a number of ideological positions, even
within the Catholic Church, said the president of the
Episcopal Commission for Social Communication,
Abelardo Alvarado Alcantara. Alvarado also said that,
nonetheless, the Chiapas bishop "has all the support"
of the Mexican Episcopate in his search for peace.
The presidents of four commissions of the Mexican
Episcopate, two of them also members of its Permanent
Council, supported the mediating bishop and said all
charges against him were "slanders" from those who
intend to continue exploiting and abusing the
Indians. Samuel Ruiz "is not alone" and the bishops
"are vigilant of his personal security. We have
supported him. He has fought long for peace, for the
Indians; I am positive on that," said Tapachula
Bishop Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel. He was the one more
openly defending Bishop Ruiz.
April 27
PRD Senator Heberto Castillo stated that Bishop
Samuel Ruiz has done a good work as mediator when the
EZLN was out in the mountains, but that his presence
in the peace negotiations is not necessary. He said
that the main obstacle to the dialogue process is the
lack of understanding and the absence of the actual
incumbents: Marcos and Esteban Moctezuma. Castillo
also said that the dialogue between the EZLN and the
government should be more direct and that more
tolerance between the parts is required because an
excessive mediation has prevented a better
understanding.
The State Congress has passed the initiative to
reform and add a number of legal resolutions to the
local Political Constitution. There will be nine new
electoral districts in the municipal elections to be
held next August.
There are "no signs" that the Vatican is looking for
the dismissal of Bishop Samuel Ruiz, said the
President of the Commission for Peace and Justice,
Cardinal Roger Etchegaray at a recent private
encounter with the Mexican Provincial of the Jesus
Company, Jose Morales Orozco. At referring to this
meeting, Morales Orozco, who is also President of the
Conference of Confessional Institutes (CIRM) stated
that Cardinal Etchegaray --a close colaborator of
Pope John Paul II-- recognizes that the situation of
injustice and extreme poverty is behind the armed
conflict in Chiapas. During the conversation,
Morales told Cardinal Etchegaray that the critical
situation in Mexico demanded the permanence of Bishop
Ruiz as mediator, "to achieve peace with justice and
dignity."
April 28
Representatives of 400 small Tzeltal communities from
the Bachajon region in Chiapas, arrived at the
Basilica de Guadalupe to ask that no more Indian
blood is shed to make peace flourish in Mexico..., to
make the seed of justice germinate. The homily was
devoted to peace and to give strength to Bishop
Samuel Ruiz Garcia. Everybody prayed and "asked for
pardon for the sins of our country: injustice, the
Indian blood shed and the lack of freedom..." The
ten Tzeltal Indians, messengers of the word of the
men and women of Chiapas, went to the Basilica to
demand a permanent peace with dignity, justice, work
and democracy.
"The government better respects the life of
Subcomandante Marcos because if he is murdered or
hurt in some way, the whole country will be set on
fire," said Alfonso Guillen Guillen, father of Rafael
Sebastian Guillen Vicente, the supposed leader of the
EZLN. He thinks his son Rafael, "a poet and a
philosopher" could be Marcos, one of the two or three
'subcomandantes' that command the Zapatista movement.
The kidnapping industry in Chiapas is responsible for
77 abductions --54 of which have been admitted by the
State's Office of the Attorney in the last 16 months-
- and has collected 100 million new pesos, informed
the leader of the Regional Union of the Small
Property (URPP) Alfredo Cerdio Sanchez.
Members of the Emiliano Zapata Proletarian
Organization (OPEZ) suspended their 10-day standing
demonstration in the main plaza. They demand solution
to their agrarian problems and punishment of the
policemen responsible for the assassination of
peasant Rogelio Peqaloza Arroyo. They claim they have
not had an answer to their demands and warned they
will continue their struggle until they are heard by
the authorities and the police is withdrawn from the
area.
The Mexican Academy of Human Rights (AMDH) confirmed
that Televisa's "24 Horas," Television Azteca's
"Hechos," and Multivision's "Para Usted" news
programs showed a tendency to fully accept the
statements made by the government to slander the
Conai and the EZLN and make them responsible for the
delay in starting the dialogue at San Andres
Larrainzar." On the other hand, the AMDH's report
outlined the "objectivity" of Channel 11's "Enlace".
April 29
At the event called "Samuel's Experience" the
authorities of the Iberoamericana University granted
a special award to the San Cristobal de las Casas
Bishop, Samuel Ruiz Garcia. The Bishop also received
many letters sent by children living in Mexico City
to indigenous children in Chiapas. Bishop Samuel
Ruiz said that there are groups trying to solve the
Chiapas conflict through "the military crushing" of
the EZLN. They want a violent confrontation and not a
political negotiation. He also referred to the work
of the communication media and the presence of the
Mexican Army in Los Altos and the Lacandona Jungle.
According to him, the civil society must help to
prevent the "slavery" conditions in which some
journalists work and who either have to make up the
news or are fired for telling the truth. "The lack
of information is an element hindering peace."
As part of a strategy to gain the appointment as PRI
candidate to the governorship of Chiapas, Roberto
Albores Guillen has talked of the possibility of an
alliance between the Institutional Revolutionary
Party (PRI) and the Party of the Democratic
Revolution (PRD) with a "unitarian candidacy," to
prevent conflicts at the extraordinary elections to
be convoked by the current governor Julio Cesar Ruiz
Ferro.
The Peace Dialogue in Chiapas will largely depend on
the participation of the civil society, said Bishop
Samuel Ruiz Garcia. Speaking before more than 1,200
students at the Iberoamericana University, Ruiz
Garcia noted that after the dialogue a long
negotiation process is expected. He explained that a
fundamental change has taken place to get to the
pacification process and "we might not see the end of
it." He remarked that in order to achieve a true
peace it is necessary to change the system to allow
for the participation of the civil society encouraged
by the Zapatistas.
The National Mediation Commission (Conai) invited all
parties not to distract from the main purpose of
bringing peace to Chiapas and asked all social and
political actors to renew efforts and propose
creative solutions to move toward distension and find
a solution to the conflict.
The Francisco Villa Popular Union (UPFV) has
denounced that members of the Mexican Army "have been
using tear gases" to expel some 300 peasants that on
August 4, 1994 seized the coffee plantations of
Liquidambar and Prusia, in the municipality of
Jaltenango. Many of these peasants had to look for
shelter in the mountains.
April 30
The 58 local Legislature passed the reforms to the
Chiapas Constitution related to the configuration of
Congress and the gubernatorial election process. It
was agreed that the new legislature will be formed up
by 40 deputies of which 24 will be elected by
relative majority and 16 by proportional
representation.
May 2
The CIOAC elected Luis Hernandez Cruz as its new
leader replacing Antonio Hernandez Cruz. At the
Annual Meeting it was agreed to intensify their
struggle and their unity with the national
independent democratic movement "to defeat the
current government and its hunger and repression
policies against the Mexican people." On the other
hand, during the Fourth Ordinary Congress of the
CIOAC hosted by the electricians union (SUTERM)
approximately 250 peasants from a number of
municipalities demanded the withdrawal of the Mexican
Army from the conflict zone, the drafting of a new
Constitution that includes the autonomy of indian
regions,the reformulation of Article 27 and the
regularization of the lands regained this year.
The National Democratic Convention (CND) convoked all
its members to an "act of unity not spurning anyone"
and to participate in the activities of the National
Liberation program starting May 5. Some of the
demands will be to bring the dialogue between the
EZLN and the federal government to Mexico City, to
recognize the transition rebel government of Amado
Avendaqo, and the struggle for sovereignty and
national independence.
May 3
The Mexican Army is moving its troops over the
eastern part of the Lacandona Jungle and has set up a
post at the former Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) camp
near Villa Las Rosas, where soldiers stop vehicles
and persons to search and interrogate them. Some
exploratory activity has taken place at this camp,
identified with a sign reading "Mexican Army," and
apparently the results were positive indicating the
presence of crude oil and gas near Ocosingo.
The National Foundation for Democracy (NFD) granted
Sergio Aguayo Quezada the Prize of Democracy, for his
efforts in the promotion of democratization in
Mexico. The price was received by Aguayo Quezada,
leader of Civic Alliance and founder of the AMDH with
"mixed feelings." "Mexico lives the uncertain
moments of the end of a deteriorated and bad-reputed
regime. Our rulers have failed both their people and
country and to redeem themselves they should accept
the national demand of a comprehensive
democratization."
Nine presbyterian families were expelled from the
community of El Puerto, in the Venustiano Carranza
municipality, and their homes were destroyed by
supposed "caciques," informed the State Committee of
Evangelic Defense in Chiapas (Cedech). The juridical
counsellor of Cedech, Abdias Tovilla Jaime, said that
approximately 60 persons have been ousted from this
municipality supposedly for religious differences,
only in 1995. "The authorities have done nothing to
solve the problem," added Tovilla Jaime.
The OPEZ leader Abelardo Rodriguez Gutierrez warned
that the State Council of Indigenous and Peasant
Organizations (CEOIC) will not vacate the 120
hectares they have under their control since last
year.
The federal government has spent in Chiapas 30
percent of the 2,200 million new pesos budgeted for
1995, informed provisional governor Julio Cesar Ruiz
Ferro.
According to Celam (Episcopal Conference of Latin
America) spokesman Mons. Roberto Licker Leon, Chiapas
is a signal to all Latin American leaders, a call to
the political and social conscience to pay attention
to the millions of Indians and other population
sectors suffering from marginality and oppression. He
also said that San Cristobal de las Casas Bishop,
Samuel Ruiz, "became the voice of those without
voice, the voice of the suffering people and he would
have been a dumb dog if he did not bark on time."
Mons. Genaro Alamilla, emeritus bishop of Papantla,
Veracruz, said that Samuel Ruiz and the Conai have
had a favoring attitude toward the "rebels" and that
the solution to the Chiapas conflict requires a
significant and comprehensive reform of the Mexican
political system.
May 4
The human rights of illegal immigrants from
Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador are violated by
Mexican authorities. Some of these violations include
mistreatment, beating, threatening, extorting,
cancellation of their official papers, irregular
deportation, etc., revealed the National Commission
of Human Rights (CNDH). Hector Davalos, executive
secretary of the CNDH delivered his "Report on the
violation of the human rights of immigrants at the
Southern Border," making officers of the Interior and
External Affairs, as well as of the federal and local
Office of the Attorney, responsible for such
violations.
The Concord and Peace Commission for Chiapas (Cocopa)
informed that a series of recommendations will be
made to some officers, like Chancellor Jose Angel
Gurria and Carlos Salomon Camara, director of social
communication of the Presidency, to "be more prudent"
when referring to the Chiapas conflict. After a
meeting to evaluate the first encounter of the
government with the EZLN, the Cocopa considered there
was a "significant progress in the pacification
process" and invited all parties to leave aside
propagandistic attitudes that "do not contribut to
the concord climate required for the dialogue."
In the opinion of former candidate to the Chiapas
governorship, Amado Avendaqo, the negotiations
scheduled for May 12 could have no positive results
as "the government is only lingering on." He said
that "the people have sized the government up" and do
not trust it any more as shown by the election
results at Jalisco, Veracruz and Puebla. Another
important demonstration of this lack of confidence in
the government, was the demonstration of May 1
against its economic program.
At a meeting in the Aula Magna of the Faculty of
Philosophy and Letters of the National Autonomous
University of Mexico (UNAM), students and professors
created the University Committee Pro Liberation of
Javier Elorriaga. As part of its tasks, the
committed will launch a national and international
campaign "to denounce the juridical irregularities in
the process against the political prisoners charged
with being Zapatistas."
Eight men carrying machine guns kidnapped cattle
owner Felix Rios Magaqa when he was heading to his
ranch located in the Joaquin Miguel Gutierrez
'ejido', informed the State Public Prosecutor Office.
Eighteen abductions have taken place in Chiapas
during 1995.
The lack of strength in the change of governors, the
absence of a development plan and the impossibility
to solve the local problems could create a new
turmoil in Chiapas during the coming October
elections. This would make it very difficult for
investments to materialize, warned the president of
the Coparmex, Mario Narvaez David.
In order to reinstate law and order, governor Julio
Cesar Ruiz Ferro informed that legal actions will be
taken against groups acting out of the law and
against those illegally occupying properties. This is
already being dong at Angel Albino Corzo with the
participation of the Mexican Army. On his part, the
president of the Cattler Union of the central region,
Gonzalo Lopez Camacho, urged government authorities
to continue the recovering of at least 2,067
properties that have been invaded. The recovery of
approximately 100 thousand hectares was agreed by the
local government and the coordinator of the
Sustainable Development Program in Chiapas, Dante
Delgado.
May 5
The Vatican "keeps monitoring" the pastoral work of
Samuel Ruiz at the San Cristobal de las Casas
Diocese, but supports him as it does with all other
bishops, stated the vice president of the Pontifical
Commission for Latin America, Cipriano Calderon Polo.
Approximately 200 Indians from 25 communities of San
Cristobal de las Casas occupied the regional office
of the Secretariat of Agriculture, Cattle and Rural
Development (SAGDR) to demand the allocation of
resources from the Countryside Assistance Program
(Procampo). In the building, 12 employees are being
"held" and the arrival of a mediation commission is
expected at any moment.
The solution to the land problems of the indigenous
and mestizo peasants usually takes 10 years when it
should not take longer than one year and a half.
This represents more than double the national
average. According to a research conducted at the
Mesoamerica and Chiapas Historic Research Center of
the UNAM, the time to solve the demands is almost six
times the period provided by the agrarian law. There
are in Chiapas 79 population groups that had to wait
more than 20 years to receive the land requested.
The Federal Commission of Electricity (CFE) will
invest 54 million new pesos in Chiapas in 1995 to
improve electrification in the state. This will
benefit approximately 132,500 people at 443 villages.
Belen, a 222 hectares coffee plantation owned by
Sandra Poumian, was invaded by a group of peasants
and Indians from the surrounding communities. On the
other hand, peasants of the Monteflor Arriba 'ejido'
located in the heights of the Villa Comatitlan
municipality rejected the statements by the Escuintla
local authorities that their community is a Zapatista
stronghold.
May 6
Only one week before the resumption of discussions
between the federal government and the EZLN, the
Mexican Army has recommenced its flights close to the
ground level all over the conflict zone. These
flights and non-confirmed versions that groups of 100
- 200 soldiers are searching the mountains have
increased tensions in the area.
Guillermo del Rio Ortegon, PRD senator and member of
the Cocopa, said both Interior Secretary Esteban
Moctezuma and Subcomandante Marcos have the intention
to "sit at the negotiation table in San Andres
Larrainzar, when the time comes."
The Zapatista rebels will not lay down arms and will
continue fighting if the Mexican government refuses
to withdraw its troops from the conflict zone and if
their demands are not satisfied, said a rebel leader
to some reporters. Commander Saul said the EZLN will
never lay down arms because they represent the sole
guarantee that the government will keep its promise
to make substantial improvements in justice, freedom
and democracy.
Officers of the Secretariat of Agriculture, Cattle
and Rural Development and the 200 Indians that had
seized the SAGDR regional office at San Cristobal de
las Casas, reached an agreement on the handing over
of resources for the current crop cycle. As a result,
the 12 employees being held by the peasants were
immediately released.
Four people were wounded during a violent encounter
between members of the PRI and activists of the
Popular Civic Front of Tecpatan, to win control over
the municipal presidency. Some gun shots were heard
but no casualties were reported.
Commander of the XXXVI Military Zone at Tapachula,
Chiapas, Angel Jorge Lasso de la Vega y Corona,
admitted the presence of an armed group in the
ecological reserve of El Triunfo, in the Mother
Sierra of Chiapas. He said the members of this group
were not rebels but common outlaws.
The "Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez" Human Rights Center
expressed its concern over the judicial processes of
17 supposed Zapatistas held in the North Detention
Center of the Federal District, and the Cerro Hueco
prison in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas. The proceedings
are plagued with arbitrariness and inconsistencies.
With 19 votes and two abstentions the local congress
passed the electoral law in anticipation of October
elections to renew 111 mayors and local deputies.
The new electoral law was not voted by the PRD deputy
Horacio Culebro Borrayas and Jack Demostenes Muqoz of
the New Democratic Chiapas Party (PDCh). The bill
provides for the autonomy of the electoral agency as
well as the appointment of the president of the State
Electoral Commission by consensus of the parties.
This new law, with 316 articles, also provides for
the autonomy of the electoral tribunal whose
resolutions will be final and binding. It also
provides for the formation of coalitions and
political fronts to facilitate the concerted action
of small political forces and thus be able to have a
specific presence in electoral processes.
The Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM) declared
that the armed movement in Chiapas is financed by
foreign groups attempting to destabilize the country.
However "we ignore where they come from or how they
get into the country," but definitely they are trying
to hurt Mexico for its geopolitical and economical
strategic position. Bishop Javier Lozano Barragan,
former president of the Celam, also said that
patience and perseverance will have to prevail in the
coming dialogue between the federal government and
the EZLN. He also asked the Mexican people not to
permit any manipulations in the name of Indians or of
poor sectors because "politically there already is
too much confusion in Chiapas."
May 7
Bishop Samuel Ruiz informed that in order for the
official delegation to hold its private meetings
without leaving the "security belts" some
modifications have been made to the premises where
the federal government and the EZLN will get together
next May 12 at San Andres Larrainzar.
According to the National Confraternity of Evangelic
Churches (Confraternice) the only way to reinstate
peace between catholic and evangelic groups in
Chiapas, particularly in the San Juan Chamula
community, is that the CNDH continues to send
recommendations to the local authorities so they no
longer oppose to a pacific existing together.
Lacandon Indians living at Naha and Metzbo are in
danger of being displaced from their communities by
more than 300 Tzeltal peasants that have invaded
their communal land. Tzeltal peasants from Jardin and
Villa de las Rosas have occupied parts of the forest
in Naha, cutting down mahogany, cedar and ceiba
trees. No local or federal authority has done
anything to prevent the destruction of this part of
the forest. Since February 1994 the Tzeltal
'ejidatarios' (common land owners) who for 25 years
have occupied the 3,000 hectares given to them by the
federal government, started the invasion of the
Lacandon lands, claiming they are underused.
At an extraordinary meeting of the National
Democratic Convention (CND) held in Mexico City it
was agreed to demand the Cocopa to suspend its
mediation work in Chiapas because it shows
"partiality and obedience to the government." The
National Representatives Council (CNR) of the CND
also announced its attendance as a witness to the
dialogue to be resumed on May 12 at San Andres
Larrainzar. An agenda of the discussion items that
are being consulted nation-wide by this organization,
will be presented at this meeting.
At only six days from the resumption of the dialogue
between the federal government and the EZLN,
uncertainty prevails over the response of the
Zapatista supporters to the proposed government
distension measures. Members of the EZLN have
expressed their disagreement with the official
proposal and claim that the presence of the Army in
the conflict zone makes it very difficult for the
EZLN delegates to travel to the communities to inform
them on the dialogue.
May 8
The EZLN will continue to dialogue but will not lay
down arms until the problems that forced the Indians
to rise are solved, said Major Rolando. "We are
definitely not fighting for power. We are fighting
for at least an improvement of the unjust situation
we are suffering. I think the dialogue approach must
be changed; it cannot be only dialogue and dialogue,
that is not what we want; we want some time for the
dialogue and then the solution to the demands of the
indigenous peasants."
Cardinal Bernardini Ganti, prefect of the
Congregation of Bishops, said the case of the San
Cristobal de las Casas Bishop, Samuel Ruiz Garcia,
was "painful and special." Bishop Ruiz activities
are under investigation on charges of doctrinal
deviations. During his recent visit to Mexico,
Cardinal Ganti refused to discuss the matter and did
not meet with the Mexican bishop. Bernardini Ganti,
a native of Africa, stated that liberation
theologians "are stubborn and are bound to
disappear," because they do not pay attention to what
the Church tells them.
After expressing that the Chiapas affair is being
lingered on, rebel governor Amado Avendaqo warned
that if the problems is not solved in the short term
there could be a civil war in Mexico. He said that
the federal government has no intention to solve the
conflict but anticipated that the PRI government will
have to quit "because it is collapsing, its members
are killing each other and it has nothing to do in
Mexico."
May 9
The PRD deputies made a statement on the Chiapas
conflict, calling the Mexican Army to withdraw to its
positions of February 8 and the EZLN to maintain its
current positions, in order to create proper
conditions for a negotiated solution. It also
exhorts the federal government to give an acceptable
response to the demands of the EZLN and considers
"censurable" the government's proposal to confine the
Zapatistas in reservations.
The Cocopa invited the EZLN and the federal
government to "make tangible and significant
progresses" at the May 12 meeting. With the
agreement not to make any mobilizations that could
jeopardize the realization of the dialogue, the
Cocopa, the Conai and the federal government
representatives held the last private meeting in
Mexico City.
Discussions between the coordinator of the Social
Welfare and Sustainable Development Program for
Chiapas, Dante Delgado, and the representatives of
the State Democratic Assembly of the Chiapas People
(Aedpch) had a partial success as they only agreed to
a new meeting on May 16. The Assembly, representing
a dozen of peasant organizations, questioned the will
of the government to solve the problems in Chiapas as
violent evictions, arrests and the murder of their
leaders are everyday actions.
The Secretary of the Chiapas Government, Eraclio
Zepeda Ramos, claimed that the state will not
purchase one more piece of land, but invited the
creation of real estate trusteeships. With respect
to land invasions, he said that only through
juridical processes and within the law, the land
problems will be solved. There are still over 600
properties that have been invaded outside of the
conflict zone.
MEDIA MONITORING
APRIL 24 - MAY 5
The content analysis of four telecasts, made between
April 24 and May 5, 1995, reveals that Televisa's "24
Horas," Television Azteca's "Hechos," Multivision's
"Para Usted," and Channel 11's "Enlace" gave a
minimum coverage to the Chiapas conflict, mainly as a
result of the recess in the dialogue process.
The news on Chiapas offered in this period were:
1. The results of the meeting between the government
and the EZLN at San Andres Larrainzar.
2. The reactions from both Congress chambers to the
agreements reached at the San Andres meeting.
3. The meeting held by Chiapas governor Julio Cesar
Ruiz Ferro with foreign investors.
4. The statements made by Everardo Martinez, PRD
deputy, asking for the discharge of the Cocopa and
the reactions of other deputies and senators to this
demand.
5. The statements of some members of the Mexican
Episcopal Conference (CEM) on the performance of
Samuel Ruiz in Chiapas.
6. The statement by External Affairs Secretariat Jose
Angel Gurria, who at a meeting with foreign investors
said that the Chiapas conflict was an "ink and paper"
war.
7. The meeting between the Cocopa and the Secretary
of the Interior, Esteban Moctezuma, at which the
permanence of the Cocopa was confirmed.
8. The statements made by some participants at the
Latin American Episcopal Conference (CELAM) on the
Chiapas situation and on the work of Samuel Ruiz.
Total time given by the four TV stations to the
Chiapas conflict from April 24 to 28 was 40 minutes
and 24 seconds. From May 1 to 5, the length of time
given to Chiapas was reduced to 14 minutes and six
seconds. A significant difference if compared to the
week of April 17 - 21 when Chiapas was granted one
hour, 53 minutes and 23 seconds.
Between April 24 and 28, "Hechos" was the news
program giving more time to Chiapas with 18 minutes
and 16 seconds, followed by "24 Horas" with eight
minutes and 43 seconds, "Para Usted" with six minutes
and 52 seconds and "Enlace" with six minutes and 33
seconds, whereas from May 1 to 5 "24 Horas" devoted
more time to Chiapas, with nine minutes and 13
seconds. In this same period, "Hechos" considerably
decreased the time given to Chiapas with only three
minutes and 53 seconds. "Para Usted" gave Chiapas
only one minute, while "Enlace" did not have any news
on Chiapas.
The Secretariat of the Interior (six minutes and 48
seconds), Other Officers (six minutes and 36
seconds), the Party of the Democratic Revolution (six
minutes and 13 seconds) and the EZLN (five minutes
and 51 seconds) were the actors getting more time in
the week of April 24 - 28. The mediation groups
Cocopa and Conai occupied two minutes and 10 seconds,
and two minutes and two seconds respectively. The
National Action Party (PAN) got one minute and 34
seconds while the Revolutionary Institutional Party
(PRI) got one minute and 14 seconds. The Mexican
Army was given one minute and 14 seconds, the
Catholic Church 42 seconds and the businessmen 26
seconds. President Zedillo, the Office of the
Attorney General and the Labor Party (PT) did not get
any coverage at all.
Actual voice and image time for the week of April 24
- 28 was 12 minutes and 16 seconds. The PRD got two
minutes and 52 seconds, followed by Other Officers
with two minutes and 16 seconds, the EZLN with one
minute and 39 seconds, and the Secretariat of the
Interior with one minute and 27 seconds.
During the period of May 1 - 5 the Catholic Church
was the actor receiving more time, with eight minutes
and 19 seconds. This was due to the celebration of
the CELAM Conference where Chiapas and Samuel Ruiz
were part of the subjects dealt with. The Cocopa got
two minutes and three seconds, the Secretariat of the
Interior two minutes and one seconds, and Ernesto
Zedillo 22 seconds. Meanwhile, the EZLN received only
11 seconds and the Conai was not mentioned at all.
With respect to actual voice and image time for the
same period of May 1 - 5, the Catholic Church
received one minute and 46 seconds, the Cocopa 35
seconds and the PRD 11 seconds. The other actors had
no voice and image time.
The commentators of "Hechos" expressed once more
negative opinions on the EZLN and criticized its role
in the dialogue process. On April 24, during his
weekly program, Sergio Sarmiento admitted that the
Zapatista insurrection has some valid causes and
reminded that after the discussions between Manuel
Camacho Solis and Subcomandante Marcos, the federal
government accepted to fulfill 32 of the 34 demands
of the EZLN. "However, the political situation of
the country changed. After the assassination of
presidential candidate Luis Dolando Colosio, the
leaders of the EZLN realized that the government was
in a weak position. Thus they disavowed their own
agreement signed on March 2 and postponed the
possibility of attaining a peace with justice," said
the commentator. Sarmiento also referred to the
present negotiations between the government and the
EZLN. He said that hopes are blooming again although
it is not an easy dialogue as only two days after its
beginning the EZLN asked for a recess to take the
proposals to consultation among its communities. "If
the consultation is a contribution to a final and
fair peace, be it welcomed (...) Let's hope that
this is not merely a subterfuge to win time because
it would only aggravate the situation in Chiapas," he
warned.
The economic commentator of "24 Horas," Jose Antonio
Perez Stuart, associated once more the current
economic crisis with the Chiapas rebellion.
According to Perez Stuart, all of Carlos Salinas de
Gortari's government achievements "were undermined by
the lack of confidence resulting from the kidnapping
of businessmen, the assassination of Luis Donaldo
Colosio, some statements made by Jorge Carpizo, Mario
Ruiz Massieu, and the attitude of the Chiapas
guerrilla. This caused money to leave the country."
On the other hand, on April 27 Luis Pazos commented
on the terrorist attempt at the American city of
Oklahoma. Pazos asked terrorism to be condemned. This
was all right. However, he used his comment to
establish a direct relationship of terrorist actions
with the EZLN, and indirectly with Samuel Ruiz. He
said: "What happened in Oklahoma has also occurred in
other countries. In the case of Mexico, for example,
in January 1994 a bomb-car exploded in a mall of
Mexico City. The attempt was claimed by the Partido
Revolucionario Obrero Clandestino Union del Pueblo y
de los Obreros (PROCUP) and was in support of the
Zapatista Army of National Liberation. (...) what is
really sad is that most of the time those who speak
of peace and human rights, use pseudo-scientific or
semi-anthropological analysis to justify this type of
terrorism and this violence. In Latin America, in
Europe and in the Middle East as well as in the
United States, terrorists always have a
justification, a claim, be either the poor, the
oppressed people, or the Indians. But it is even more
dangerous when political parties looking for power,
or church people trying to get public exposure,
support this type of actions."
Also "24 Horas" tried to establish a relationship
between the Chiapas conflict and the terrorist attack
in Oklahoma. On April 24, its special reporter
Ignacio Espinosa, who was in Atlanta on occasion of
the "Nobel Prize Olympics," asked Octavio Paz his
opinion on both the Chiapas and the Oklahoma
situations. However, Paz declined to make any
comparisons and limited himself to declaring that
"those are very different situations."
Communication media continue to be subordinated to
the government's agenda and the negotiation times in
Chiapas. They do not make any research on their own
initiative and only limit themselves to cover events,
reproduce the press bulletins usually released by the
Secretariat of the Interior, the National Defense, or
the Concord and Peace Commission (Cocopa).
The fact is that communication media only give space
and attention to official information and prevent
other relevant actors in the conflict from expressing
their ideas, proposals and actions. Media in Mexico
are not giving any space to views that are different
from that of the government and this is a violation
to the right of Mexicans to be informed. We must
make proposals and find the mechanisms for the media
to permit the participation of the civil society. Or
should the civil society permanently and massively
organize public demonstrations in front of television
stations, to have its proposals, opinions and
activities broadcasted?