Zapatista ‘Tour’ Takes Rebels to Uncertain Turf

After five heady days of cheering crowds and welcoming banners, Mexico’s Zapatista rebels headed Thursday into slightly hostile territory: a state whose governor called the guerrilla leader a coward and made it clear the insurgents weren’t welcome.

The Zapatistas’ two-week, 12-state trek from a jungle stronghold in southern Chiapas state to Mexico City--dubbed the Zapatour by Mexican media--has been greeted by thousands of sympathizers who line the highways to welcome the rebel caravan and pack public rallies to show their support.

Thursday presented the march’s first test in a state with an outwardly unfriendly official: In a published interview last month, Queretaro Gov. Ignacio Loyola called rebel leader Subcommander Marcos an untrustworthy coward whose refusal to meet with President Vicente Fox is only a pretext for prolonging the seven-year conflict.

Loyola also has refused to release two Zapatista prisoners being held in Queretaro, a state in central Mexico. Securing the freedom of all rebel prisoners is one of three conditions the Zapatistas have established for reopening peace talks with the government.

“I don’t really believe that all of the governors are pleased that the march is passing through their state,” Loyola was quoted as saying recently by the Reforma newspaper.

But if any of Queretaro’s residents shared the governor’s sentiments, they weren’t showing it. About 6,000 cheering supporters flocked to the central plaza in the state capital, Queretaro city, to await Marcos’ arrival Thursday morning.

Outside of Queretaro, a bus carrying international observers lost its brakes and began to pass the caravan, hitting two motorcycle police officers who signaled it to stop.

One officer died of his injuries. The second was hurt only slightly. The accident caused a chain reaction involving about 10 vehicles, including the rebels’ bus.

Fox’s home state of Guanajuato, also in central Mexico, was included on the rebels’ list of stops Thursday.