MEXICO: Commission Begins Mediation as Government Troops Mobilise
MEXICO CITY, Dic 26 (IPS) - A commission recognised by the Mexican government and the Zapatista insurgents in the southern state of Chiapas began to mediate on Monday, while the army continued to reinforce its position in the area.
The immediate objective of the mediators is to avoid the fragile ceasefire from being broken, "redefining the distance between the two armies, which has narrowed in recent days," said Bishop of Chiapas Samuel Ruiz, head of the National Intermediary Commission (CONAI).
The only group guerrilla forces accepted as a go-between after refusing to negotiate through a legislative commission formed at President Ernesto Zedillo's suggestion, the CONAI entered Zapatista-controlled territory on Monday after having made preliminary contact with government representatives over the weekend.
Tension in Chiapas has grown steadily since early December, and last week the Zapatistas expanded their territory - without bloodshed - from four Chiapan towns and villages to over 30. The guerrilla and government forces are currently less than 15 kilometres apart.
The Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) warned last Thursday that if the army continues mobilising it will be "responsible for what happens," alluding to a fresh outbreak of fighting.
Despite the warnings and governmnt promises to seek a negotiated solution, the military continued mobilising this weekend.
Reports from Chiapas indicate that some 800 soldiers arrived to the area on Monday, reinforcing the troops stationed around the EZLN and taking new positions.
Some 60,000 troops now surround an estimated 14,000 insurgents in the region.
"While there has not yet been any gunfire, we are nearing that possibility, and for that reason the militarisation must cease," said Ruiz, who on Monday concluded his eighth day of a hunger strike demanding peace in Chiapas.
Ruiz said he will continue the hunger strike, which several other well-known Mexicans have joined, until a ceasefire is guaranteed.
Ruiz met on Saturday with Sub-Secretary of the Interior Beatriz Paredes. According to official reports, Ruiz and Paredes agreed on mechanisms for the reestablishment of dialogue between the government and the EZLN.
Last week the government recognised the CONAI - made up of well- known religious, political and cultural figures - as go-betweens in the conflict, after having initially questioned the organisation for its alleged sympathy with the insurgents.
Meanwhile, Zedillo named Interior Secretary Esteban Moctezuma as his personal representative in an eventual peace dialogue with the guerrilla forces.
The EZLN was formed when thousands of indigenous people took up arms in January, demanding social justice and democracy. Several weeks of fighting with government forces in Chiapas left 159 dead, 107 wounded and 29 disappeared.
© Inter Press Service (2014) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service