-Caveat Lector- Politics-Mexico: Zapatistas Demand Demilitarized Zone MEXICO CITY, (Sep. 13) IPS - Four Zapatistas from the southern state of Chiapas arrived in the capital yesterday to demand the demilitarization of the conflict area, a point they say was sidestepped by the government peace plan released last week. The Zapatista representatives, who use the noms de guerre of Gabriel, Marin, Luisa and Veronica, will go to the lower house of parliament to denounce the consequences of military presence in the Chiapas, they said when they arrived in Mexico City. The Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN), which first took up arms on Jan. 1, 1994 in defense of indigenous rights, has not yet acknowledged receipt of the government's invitation for dialogue five days after it was issued. Unarmed and with their faces covered with bandannas, the indigenous EZLN representatives arrived last night from the Amador Hernandez community, epicenter of the most recent outbreak of strife in conflict-ridden Chiapas. The community is located at the heart of the Zapatista territory, and was the scene of confrontations that left seven soldiers and two indigenous people injured two weeks ago. The government had to suspend construction of a highway crossing Amador Hernandez 15 days ago due to protests by indigenous peoples who accuse the government of building roads in order to step up the military presence in the area. Without the publicity that has characterized previous Zapatista visits to the nation's capital, the four will tell the chamber how the presence of more than 50,000 government soldiers in Chiapas is affecting the area's residents, stated Luisa. The legislators will hear how women and children live in fear of the soldiers and how the military has contaminated water supplies, destroyed forests and illegally taken possession of land that is community property, Luisa declared. Mairead Maguire, 1977 Nobel Prize winner from Northern Ireland, said yesterday that the removal of the military from Chiapas is a fundamental requirement for achieving peace in the region. At the end of her four-day visit to Zapatista communities, Maguire declared that "a road cannot be built towards peace if the people are afraid." In Chiapas, much like what occurred in Northern Ireland, according to Maguire "nothing can be done until the weapons are removed from the area." Maguire clarified that she did not travel to Mexico "to give lessons, but to humbly listen, learn and share." The peace activist affirmed, however, that the divergent points of view of the EZLN and the Ernesto Zedillo government make international mediation essential. "That is how it occurred in Northern Ireland's conflicts, and in those of the Middle East, for example," she said. International organizations do not participate in order to impose strategies, but to "demonstrate solidarity and to help discover new forms of creativity and peaceful resistance," Maguire explained. But the Zedillo government rejects foreign mediation, arguing that the Mexican people are capable of resolving their own problems. Maguire met with representatives from indigenous and religious non-governmental organizations, but she was not received by the Chiapas state government. The activist announced that she will draft a report on Chiapas to be given to the secretary-general of the United Nations, and she congratulated the Mexican government on its most recent peace proposal given to the EZLN. Three years after the Zapatistas abandoned negotiations with government authorities, the government ministry called upon the rebel group to renew dialogue. The EZLN had suspended its contacts with the government after it rejected their proposed bill on indigenous rights and culture, drafted by a legislative commission, and based on the San Andres agreements that both sides had signed. The government proposed that the Zapatistas come up with a new intermediary measure and take steps towards the release of Zapatistas prisoners who were not involved in serious crimes, among other measures that would ease tensions. Still without responding to the government's new proposal, the EZLN sent the small delegation to Mexico City, which plans to participate in the 189th anniversary celebration of the country's independence. The Zapatistas will take part in the festival on Sept. 15 celebrating the "grito" -- or shout -- with which Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo called upon the Mexican people to fight the Spanish conquistadores. The commemoration will be held at the campus of Mexico's university, which has been on strike for the last four months. ======================= Robert F. Tatman Computer Help Desk Desktop & LAN Services Systems Department Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. [EMAIL PROTECTED] 215.854.2729 215.854.2788 The contents of this message represent the opinion only of the writer, and may not be construed to indicate the endorsement of Knight-Ridder, Inc.; Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc.; The Philadelphia Inquirer; or the Philadelphia Daily News. "Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity." DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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