Mexican Government Submits Plan for Chiapas

In an effort to break a yearlong impasse with the Zapatista rebels, the Mexican government sent legislation to Congress on Sunday that would provide greater rights for Indians in the troubled southern state of Chiapas.

But it was unclear whether the move would propel Chiapas toward peace or war. The legislation was based on a celebrated accord between the government and rebels reached two years ago. However, after that agreement was translated into a proposed law, the government insisted on several changes, provoking the wrath of the Zapatistas.

After unsuccessfully trying to persuade the rebels to accept the alterations, the government finally submitted its own version to Congress on Sunday.

“The nation demands a solution to the conflict in Chiapas, and the federal government agrees with this demand,” said Francisco Labastida, the interior minister, announcing the government’s move at a news conference Sunday night.

“It’s unacceptable that the [Zapatistas’] irresponsible refusal to negotiate causes a postponement of the solution and blocks the expansion and strengthening of the rights of Indians in the whole country,” he added.

The government appeared confident that it would receive the votes of two-thirds of Congress to pass the bill, which would reform the constitution to allow Indian communities greater autonomy in choosing their governmental representatives and using traditional forms of justice. It also guarantees respect for Indian culture in areas such as education.

Some legislators praised President Ernesto Zedillo’s decision to submit the bill, saying that the parties would now negotiate its fine points.

But many politicians and analysts said a resolution remained distant as long as the Zapatistas and government weren’t talking.

Rodolfo Stavenhagen, a sociologist and former advisor to the rebels, said the problem wasn’t so much the content of the Indian-rights legislation, but the manner in which it was presented.

He noted that the government had bypassed a congressional commission in charge of peace negotiations and hadn’t received rebel support for the law.

“This could create more problems than it solves,” he said.

Others were even more negative, describing the government’s decision to push its law through Congress as the first step toward a confrontation.

“We are going to stop this government offensive, we are going to stop the war,” said Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, head of the left-wing Democratic Revolution Party.

Labastida vowed Sunday that the government would not use violence to solve the conflict. But Chiapas is passing through one of its most tense periods since the mostly Indian rebels launched their brief uprising in January 1994, seeking greater rights.

Although the guerrillas and the army have abided by a cease-fire since then, violence has exploded between civilian supporters of the Zapatistas and the government. In December, 45 pro-Zapatista peasants were massacred by gunmen allegedly tied to Zedillo’s ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, causing an international outcry.

The rebels have long complained that the government has shown bad faith by altering the rights agreement and sending thousands of extra soldiers to Chiapas.

The Zapatistas’ complaints have increased lately, as the army has combed rebel strongholds for arms and the government has expelled several foreigners for allegedly participating in pro-Zapatista activities.

For its part, the government has expressed frustration with the rebels’ refusal to revive the dialogue. Some PRI officials have said the government should no longer respect a law on peace negotiations which, among other things, suspends arrest warrants against the rebels.