Mexico Update #140 9/17 from mexpaz Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit MEXICO UPDATE #140 Produced by Equipo Pueblo This edition of the MEXICO UPDATE contains three sections: Human Rights/Justice; Democracy/Elections; and Economy/Trade. Comments welcome at pueblodip@laneta.apc.org or by fax in Mexico City at: (525) 672-7453. HUMAN RIGHTS/JUSTICE Zapatistas Arrive at Zocalo The 1,111 indigenous members of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) who marched from Chiapas to Mexico City, arrived in the Zocalo (main square of the city) on Friday, September 12 to a crowd of thousands shouting "you are not alone!" The Zapatistas demanded that the Zedillo administration "comply (with the San Andres Agreements) or speak clearly." They stated that they were not ready to put down their arms and greeted the city that was "able and knew how to rebel" against the government, in reference to the elections for Mexico City mayor in which PRD candidate Cuahtemoc Cardenas, won. They also demanded that President Zedillo order the demilitarization of their communities. Even so, the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA) "welcomed" the Zapatistas to the city, in contrast to the Secretariat of the Interior (SEGOB) that declined to make any statement and the National Action Party (PAN) that "unwelcomed" the EZLN saying that they must disarm. The EZLN carried out other activities in the city, including meetings at the National Autonomous University (UNAM) campus, and at the pyramid of Cuicuilco, whose future is threatened by commercial interests. (La Jornada, 13 September ; El Financiero, 12 September) FZLN Founded; Separate from EZLN In a national meeting in Mexico City last wee, the Zapatista National Liberation Front (FZLN) was officially founded. The EZLN attended the meeting as an "observers." The FZLN agreed to begin its activities with a national campaign for peace and against militarization and war. Also, its founders demanded that the government comply with the San Andres Accords that it signed in February 1996. It is expected that the FZLN will not permit double militancy (in another political party). Membership in the FZLN will be on an individual basis as well as through the over 300 Civilian Dialogue Committees around the country. The FZLN stated that it won=92t seek political power and that none of its members will be allowed to seek political office. Its structure will be horizontal; without any formal leadership hierarchy, and will be based on the Civilian Dialogue Committees. The EZLN sent a message to the FZLN in which it called on the "civilian Zapatistas" to "struggle together to put an end to the exploitation of Mexico". Javier Elorriaga Verdague, a founding member of the FZLN, said that it will not be the political arm of the EZLN. A National Commission made up of two representatives of each Mexican state will be formed as a bridge between the two. They will meet in two months to present the principles, statutes, structure and action plan resulting from the tabulation of all the votes from the assembly. (La Jornada, 15 and 17 September). Human Rights Watch of the Americas HRWA announced that social instability could lead to more violence if the Mexican government does not comply with human rights norms. In a document titled "Unfulfilled Obligations and Official Responsibility Regarding Rural Violence in Mexico" the group stated that "the (Mexican) government risks the continued alienation of citizens who have very little faith in official institutions as successful and peaceful mediators in their conflicts." (translated from Spanish). With respect to Chiapas, HRWA states that certain state politicians are manipulating conflicts in order to advance their personal political goals, which strengthens the counter-insurgency climate. HRWA also mentioned the operations of "guardas blancas" (paramilitary troops), including "Peace and Justice" and the "Chinchulines", PRI-affiliated groups that act in response to the government=92s inability to stop the EZLN rebellion. The group also referred indirectly to a third paramilitary group: the "Revolutionary Anti-Zapatista Indigenous Movement (MIRA)". (La Jornada, 17 September) NGO Forum During the Celebration of Equipo Pueblo's Anniversary Equipo Pueblo celebrated its XX anniversary with the forum "NGO Challenges vis-a-vis Globalization, Democracy and Citizen Culture in the XXI Century". Participants included representatives of NGOs and social organizations from Latin America, North America, and Europe. Max Van Den Berg, director of the Dutch agency for development cooperation, NOVIB, declared that although some improvement can be seen over the "discouraging panorama of the seventies and eighties" in Latin America, the persistent violation of human rights continues through discrimination, social exclusion and intimidation. He said that "women in general, and specifically those of indigenous and black populations, are the main victims of such abuses..... In many places any act of resistance by these groups is repressed with violence. The situation in Chiapas is very illustrative and should be considered above all a protest against the social consequences of the neoliberal model". (La Jornada, 13 September) DEMOCRACY/ELECTIONS Mariano Palacios Alcocer New PRI President The Institutional Revolution Party (PRI) officially elected Mariano Palacios Alcocer was as its president and Socorro Diaz as secretary general in what was considered an undemocratic process. In his inaugural speech, Palacios said that the PRI would have to get used to being an opposition party. This declaration angered many important members of that party like Manuel Bartlett, who walked out in what many considered an act of protest. Palacios Alcocer, in his first public statements, said that his party must end its completely non-critical and unconditional support for the president. Also, he declared that in the PRI "there is no plan or yearning to return to the times of political hegemony" (La Jornada, 13 September) Weld Gives Up, Helms Wins William Weld gave up on his attempt to become the United States ambassador to Mexico. Jesse Helms opposed the attempt of Weld, who had been strongly backed by president Clinton, from the very beginning. Weld declared that "one of the reasons I wanted to go to Mexico as ambassador was to help to promote international cooperation and free trade, as well as to help both countries in their fight against illegal drugs and the control of the border". However, he said that he is very excited about the future of Mexico. He thinks that "recent political events, together with the liberalization of economic institutions and free international trade create an unprecedented window of opportunities for them (Mexico and the United States). " (Reforma, 16 September). Congress to Recover Mexican Sovereignty According to the President of the new Congress, Porfirio Munoz Ledo, the legislature will play an important role in recovering Mexico=92s sovereignty and independence. He said that "Mexico=92s great challenge is to recover its independence (which has been lost) because of the decisions made by the governing class (and) not because of economic globalization." He said the government does not understand that globalization is a worldwide phenomenon of inter-dependency in which a country can maintain certain levels of sovereignty. Instead, it acts submissively. He said that the governing class has abdicated its responsibility to defend the country acted since the early eighties. (Reforma, 16 September). ECONOMY/TRADE The Secretary of Finance Declares Before Congress Finance Secretary Guillermo Ortiz testified in front of a chaotic Chamber of Deputies (see below) that despite some economic distortions, Mexico is on the right path and its economic policies have not been the result of intolerance. He asked the Deputies to reach a consensus with the Executive branch on an economic program for 1988 and assured the Chamber that the Zedillo administration would not commit the same errors of 1994, including allowing an overvaluation of peso and a situation in which speculative capital fueled the economy. However, he admitted that the average income of Mexicans today is "similar or perhaps inferior to that of 1980" and that macroeconomic achievements still are not reflected in the well being of the working class. When asked by opposition parties about the persistence of neoliberal policies in spite of these failures, Ortiz declared that "healthy public finance is not a dogma nor is it an ideological or neoliberal proposal ; it is recognized and demanded almost in every country of the world. (El Financiero, 12 September) The Private Sector and the 1998 Budget Several economic analysts from different financial institutions agreed that the political uncertainty prevailing in Mexico around economic policy puts their institutions in a vulnerable position. Eduardo Bours, president of the CEE (Economic Enterprise Council), called on policymakers to be more cautious and reserved in the design of a "State economic policy". Bours said that the business sector would create a legislative commission to ensure guarantee that the guiding principal of any national change is based on a consensus. Business leaders warned that a lack of consensus in the Congress puts markets at risk because they may become nervous. (El Financiero, 15 September) Secretary of Labor Against Raising Salaries Labor Secretary Javier Bonilla warned that a general increase in salaries would lead to massive bankruptcies among Mexican businesses along with an increase in unemployment and the informal economy. He said that a recovery of workers' income will not be "spectacular" over the next two or three years, and that salaries won=92t reach their 1994 levels until the end of the Zedillo administration (the year 2000). According to Bonilla, the problem is that the economy has had not performed adequately for the past 15 or 20 years and thus it is necessary to raise savings and investment levels, stabilize public finances and achieve sustained growth as soon as possible. He said there are no "magic formulas" for the recovery of purchasing power and that the only way to achieve these goals is through hard work, savings, investment, productivity and better training. He said that soon the Labor Department will present a new document on the "New Labor Culture." (El Financiero, 12 September) Big Business Shatters Small Business According to the Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce (CONCANACO), 1% of big firms account for 50% of overall business income generated. Small firms, in contrast, are "shattered", ad nine out of ten report no profits. CONCANACO stated that the micro economy will not recover until the next administration. 94.7% of commercial establishments in the Mexico are micro-enterprises and employ 59.6% of that sector. However, they receive only a quarter of total income and they survive for an average of only one to three years. (El Financiero, 17 September) ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytcamer-09.24.97-12:05:45-15817