Mexico Urged to Cut Chiapas Force

Applying moral suasion in an effort to ease what she described as abuses of indigenous peoples in Chiapas, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson on Saturday urged Mexico to significantly reduce its troop presence in the troubled state.

Robinson said the “heavy” presence of Mexican troops in Chiapas is causing rights abuses at a “grass-roots level.” Among the abuses she noted were disappearances, detentions, torture and violence against women. Some of the acts appear to have “official indulgence,” she said.

“Victims feel [like] hostages to the situation when they suffer a violation because they do not feel they can get justice,” said Robinson, who was on the last leg of a Mexican tour than included a two-day trip to Chiapas and a stop in Tijuana.

Although Robinson declined to say how many of the estimated 25,000 Mexican troops in Chiapas should be removed, she said their presence is “very oppressive in certain areas, especially indigenous communities.” She said she was “overwhelmed” by the documentation of the abuses and had to buy two new suitcases to pack it all.

Emilio Rabasa Gamboa, President Ernesto Zedillo’s handpicked coordinator for addressing the discord in Chiapas, said Saturday that the Mexican government would not rule out a troop withdrawal but that it would have to come as a result of a dialogue with groups there, including Zapatista rebels.

Speaking to reporters in Mexico City, Rabasa said a great portion of the Chiapas population is anti-Zapatista and wants the army’s protection. “The army offers security to the population without discrimination,” he said.

Invited by the Mexican government, Robinson met Wednesday with Zedillo. Although Mexico has always been sensitive to outside interference on Chiapas, Zedillo signed a “technical agreement” by which Mexico will accept the United Nations’ advice on ways to curb human rights violations. The form the advice will take is still unclear.

Without referring specifically to Chiapas, Zedillo told a national convention of judges here Friday that, “without ambiguity,” Mexico recognizes “material deficiencies” in human rights and that the “impunity” of those who violate them is unacceptable.

Zedillo said human rights violations were the result of “the discretional use of the organs of prosecution, of the stubbornness of wrong attitudes that undermine the rights and dignity of the people.”

Although she acknowledged Mexico’s progress in addressing human rights issues, Robinson said there is a large gap between goals and accomplishments.

The former president of Ireland said she felt compelled to “speak out about the level of violations, of cases of officials acting with impunity. I hope my visit has drawn attention to the problems.”

On Saturday, armed forces Atty. Gen. Rafael Macedo de la Concha said on radio that any human rights violations by those in uniform are vigorously prosecuted.

The militarization of Chiapas followed a brief but bloody uprising in January 1994 by Zapatista rebels demanding indigenous rights and land reform to benefit Maya peasant groups. The conflict has sparked violence between rebel groups and the army and pro-government paramilitaries.

During her Chiapas trip Friday, Robinson met survivors of the December 1997 massacre in Acteal, where 45 peasants were slain by paramilitary forces.

Zedillo launched an initiative to ease Chiapas tensions in September by proposing a mediation board of nonpartisans, a departure from past demands that rebels talk directly with the government. But apart from some prisoner releases, there has been no recent progress in the nearly 6-year-old conflict.

The federal government has accused the Zapatistas of intransigence in negotiations. The rebels, meanwhile, have refused to take part in talks until the government implements the 1996 San Andres peace accords now in limbo. The accords, which provided a preliminary framework to guarantee indigenous rights and customs, are on hold.

Tensions mounted this summer before the government called off a controversial Chiapas road construction project that the Zapatistas said would only facilitate military incursions.