> Translated by: Arturo Lopez for Nuevo Amanecer Press > > ************* > > La Jornada, January 9, 1997 > > Attorney General: The official version of Acteal has no credibility > outside Mexico. > > by Jesus Aranda > > The Attorney General of Mexico, Jorge Madrazo Cuellar, recognized > yesterday that the killing of 45 indigenous people has become > "internationalized," and admitted that despite the efforts of the Mexican > government to diffuse its version of events, internationally there is a > lack of credibilty towards the official position. > > Before the Secretary of Foreign Relations, Rosario Green, and more than 70 > ambassadors and mexican consuls stationed abroad, Madrazo said that in > view of this situation "the only thing that can move us forward is the > truth, and if we make mistakes, tell it like it is." > > The Attorney General also informed those attending the meeting that Wednesday > night his department had interrogated the former governor of Chiapas, > Julio Cesar Ruiz Ferro, his former private secretary, Jaime Antonio Goimez > Mandujano, and the fomer director of Public Security of Chiapas, Jorge > Gamboa Solis, in regards to the events of December 22. > > Madrazo participated yesterday in the ninth meeting of ambassadors and > consuls of Mexico, in which his participation, originally planned to > address issues surrounding narco-traffic, ended in serious questioning by > the diplomats present in respect to the consequences for Mexico's > image due to the international distribution of images of the massacre that ocurred > three weeks ago in Chiapas. > > For his part, the Foreign Relations Secretary, Rosario Green, in the > inaguration of the event before Madrazo Cuellar arrived, instructed the > diplomats on what strategy to follow in order to make the Mexican > government's voice heard: > > "Maintain close, systematic and high-quality contact with media > representatives, political parties, non-governmental organizations, the > business community, academic institutions and other social actors who > could be relevant to the country of assignment." > > Questioning of Madrazo on Chenalho and the release of "El Chucky" > > During the closed-door session between Madrazo and the diplomats, the > latter questioned him regarding the consequences for Mexico in the > international community, of the Chenalho massacre as well as the > "unfortunate" judicial error in releasing Alfonso Gonzalez Sanchez, > known as "El Chucky," presumed murderer of United States businessman Peter > John Zarate. > > Madrazo Cuellar, in response to the diplomats' concerns, said that while > there is no agreement of "full peace" in Chiapas, there is a latent risk > that cases like Acteal be repeated. > > In this sense, he said the massacre of 45 people in Acteal constitutes yet > another case within the "barbarous" problematic initiated in Chiapas the > first of January, 1994, and which continues for lack of agreement among > the parties. > > One of the ambassadors present asked Madrazo about the version > distributed in > electronic international media, which had included information about how > the killing of the Chiapan indians in Chenalho had been done with > machetes, which spoke to the brutality of the events. > > The Attorney General responded that the cuts which appear in the bodies > are autopsy incisions, and commented further that the great majority of > the bodies had been shot in the back and in some cases showed the results > of an execution-style "shot of grace." > > Madrazo Cuellar insisted to the gathered diplomats that the President is > determined to investigate the case and punish guilty parties to the full > extent of the situation. > > The Attorney General recognized that "negative" information about the massacre has > predominated, despite the fact that the the Mexican government has > delivered timely reports on the advances towards confirmations of the > massacre and that it has already achieved the arrest of 40 people presumed > to be implicated. > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > Date: Fri, 09 Jan 1998 08:55:49 -0800 > From: moonlight <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Sin credibilidad en el exterior, la version oficial de Acteal: PGR > > La Jornada 9 de enero de 1998 > > Sin credibilidad en el exterior, la version oficial de Acteal: PGR > > Jesus Aranda El procurador general de la Republica, Jorge Madrazo > Cuellar, reconocio ayer que la matanza de 45 > indigenas en Acteal ya se ``internacionalizo'', y acepto que a pesar de > los esfuerzos del gobierno mexicano por difundir su > version de los hechos existe una falta de credibilidad a nivel > internacional sobre la postura oficial. > > Ante la secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores, Rosario Green, y mas de 70 > embajadores y consules mexicanos en el exterior, > Madrazo dijo que ante esta situacion ``lo unico que nos va a sacar > adelante es la verdad, y si nos equivocamos, asi decirlo''. > > Ahi mismo, el procurador les informo que la dependencia a su cargo habia > interrogado la noche del miercoles al ex > gobernador del estado de Chiapas, Julio Cesar Ruiz Ferro, a su ex > secretario particu- lar, Jaime Antonio Gomez Mandujano, > y al ex director de Seguridad Publica de esa entidad, Jorge Gamboa Solis, > en relacion con los hechos del 22 de diciembre. > > Madrazo participo ayer en los trabajos de la novena reunion de > embajadores y consules generales de Mexico, en donde su > participacion, originalmente planteada para abordar temas de > narcotrafico, concluyo en serios cuestionamientos de los > diplomaticos ahi presentes respecto a las consecuencias que tendra para > la imagen de Mexico la propagacion en el exterior > de las imagenes de la masacre ocurrida hace tres semanas en Chiapas. > > Por su parte la secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores, Rosario Green, en la > inauguracion del evento, previa a la llegada de > Madrazo Cuellar a la cancilleria, instruyo a los diplomaticos sobre la > estrategia a seguir para hacer oir la voz del gobierno > mexicano: > > ``Mantener un contacto estrecho, sistematico y de calidad con los > representantes de los medios de difusion, los partidos > politicos, las organizaciones no gubernamentales, los empresarios, los > centros academicos y otros actores sociales que > pudieran ser relevantes en el pais de su adscripcion''. > > Cuestionamientos a Madrazo sobre Chenalho y la liberacion de El Chucky > > Durante el encuentro a puertas cerradas que sostuvo Madrazo con los > diplomaticos, estos le cuestionaron las consecuencias > que tiene para Mexico la matanza de Chenalho ante la comunidad > internacional, asi como el ``desafortunado'' fallo judicial > que libero a Alfonso Gonzalez Sanchez, El Chucky, presunto asesino del > empresario estadunidense Peter John Zarate. > > Madrazo Cuellar dijo en respuesta a las inquietudes de los diplomaticos > que mientras no haya un acuerdo de ``paz plena'' en > Chiapas, existe el riesgo latente de que se repitan casos como el de > Acteal. > > En este sentido, dijo que la matanza de 45 personas en Acteal constituye > un caso mas dentro de la problematica ``barbara'' > que inicio en Chiapas el primero de enero de 1994, y el cual continua > ante la falta de acuerdos entre las partes. > > Uno de los embajadores presentes le pregunto a Madrazo sobre la version > difundida en medios electronicos internacionales > en el sentido de que la muerte de los indigenas chiapanecos en Chenalho > habia sido a machetazos, lo que hablaba de la > brutalidad de los hechos. > > El procurador respondio que los cortes que se aprecian en los cuerpos son > las suturas de las necropsias que se les realizaron > y les comento que la gran mayoria de los cuerpos habian sido baleados por > la espalda y en algunos casos tenian el tiro de > gracia. > > Madrazo Cuellar insistio ante los diplomaticos reunidos en la > determinacion presidencial de investigar los hechos y castigar a > los culpables hasta sus ultimas consecuencias. > > El procurador reconocio que ha predominado la informacion ``negativa'' > sobre la matanza, a pesar de que el gobierno > mexicano ha informado oportunamente sobre los avances de las > averiguaciones de la masacre y de que logro ya la detencion > de 40 presuntos implicados. > > ___________________________________________________ > NUEVO AMANECER PRESS- N.A.P. > _________________________________ > Non Profit organization translating and distributing information > in support of the work in defense of human rights. > General Director: Roger Maldonado-Mexico > Assistant Director: Susana Saravia (Anibarro) > Director Spain: Darrin Wood > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] >
