Narco News 2001
Fox
Sabotages Peace
International
Red Cross Blocked
Originally published in
Spanish by the EZLN
______________________
Translated by irlandesa
Communiqué from
the Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee -
General Command of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation.
Mexico.
February 20, 2001.
To the People of Mexico:
To the Peoples and Governments
of the World:
Brothers and Sisters:
The EZLN says its word:
First. - At approximately
3:30 PM today, February 20, 2001, delegates from
the International Committee of the Red Cross met with representatives
of
the Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee - General
Command of the
EZLN in order to communicate the following to them:
A). - That the
International Committee of the Red Cross, with
headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, had expressed their agreement
in
accompanying the zapatista delegation during their trip to Mexico
City for
the dialogue they will be engaging in with the Congress of the
Union. The
CICR explained, however, that they needed the Mexican government's
acceptance in order to carry out their work.
B). - Minutes
later, the International Committee of the Red Cross
informed the EZLN that the federal government had rejected the
participation of the CICR in this step towards dialogue, and
they were,
therefore, unable to do anything.
Second. - Through this
attitude, Vicente Fox's federal government is
making a 180 degree turnabout in their policies towards Chiapas.
Señor Fox
is putting up obstacles for a peaceful dialogue initiative with
the federal
legislative branch, obstacles which could lead to the definitive
failure of
the still incipient peace process.
Third. - Even without
the participation of the International Committee of
the Red Cross, the EZLN delegation will be making its trip to
Mexico City.
Fourth. - From this point
on, we declare that we are holding Señor Vicente
Fox, and those who make up his cabinet, responsible for any unpleasant
incident which might occur on this trip.
Fifth. - By refusing
to allow the CICR to accompany the zapatista
delegation, Señor Fox is trying to leave the door open
for those - from the
National Action Party, to the upper business echelons, to the
high Catholic
clergy, to the federal government itself - who have threatened
our
delegates in various ways if the trip is carried out.
Sixth. - By blocking
the participation of the CICR, Señor Fox is trying to
pressure the EZLN to negotiate security for the zapatista march,
in
exchange for making contact with his government. The objective
is clear:
threats in order to secure concessions which will allow him to
bolster his
publicity campaign.
Seventh. - The EZLN reiterates:
There will be no dialogue with the
federal government until the 3 signals which have been demanded
are
fulfilled. On the other hand, the EZLN will indeed engage in
dialogue with
the Congress of the Union and with the indigenous and civil society
of the
entire country.
Eighth. - The EZLN is
calling on national and international civil society,
and on the federal legislative branch, to mobilize and to demonstrate
its
repudiation for this stubbornness, and to organize themselves
for the
purpose of safeguarding the zapatista delegation's security.
To all the Indian peoples
and civil society of the states of Chiapas,
Oaxaca, Puebla, Veracruz, Hidalgo, Querétaro, Guanajuato,
Michoacán, the
state of Mexico, Morelos, Guerrero and the Federal District,
we say:
We will be there with
you, nothing shall stop us.
Democracy!
Liberty!
Justice!
From the mountains of
the Mexican Southeast.
By the Clandestine Revolutionary
Indigenous Committee -
General Command of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation.
Subcomandante Insurgente
Marcos
The Red Cross
Won't Be There - But We Will