envie e-mail para:
24 de septiembre de 1996
Spanish
The San Andres dialogue has been interrupted, and throughout the
country, other events have occurred which threaten peace
nationwide.
I
The suspension of the dialogue in San Andres has brought to
crisis one of the most relevant arenas for political negotiation
in recent times, an arena in which many different actors were
peaceably advancing towards resolving an armed conflict.
The model for dialogue and negotiation as agreed upon in San
Andres, and the process itself, have proven to be insufficient,
greatly because the underlying assumptions supporting the
dialogue have not been met or were only partially fulfilled:
a) Not a single agreement has been reached regarding Democracy
and Justice, and those agreements reached regarding Indigenous
Rights and Cultures have been carried out through unilateral and
insufficient initiatives; moreover, the Follow-up and Oversight
Commission has yet to be established.
b) The progress to date in the negotiation process has not been
accompanied by a decrease in police and military activity, on the
contrary, the military presence surrounding the communities has
been reinforced. The overall peace-making process has not seen
progress, rather the situation within the state has greatly
deteriorated. Consequently, the process for peace in Chiapas has
not had significant repercussions towards promoting and
contributing to other national challenges and agendas.
c) Throughout the dialogue, the perspectives and proposals
brought forward by civil society, and particulaly those offered
by different bodies within the EZLN, have been largely ignored.
Moreover, the steadfast campaign of attacks and accusations
against the CONAI and its president, in addition to other
participants in the San Andres process, have hindered their
interventions and contributions.
The San Andres crisis brings about the need to strengthen and
renew the model for dialogue and negotiation, as well as its
ability for helping to overcome the existing logic of
polarization and confrontation. This political process must be
nourished with concrete steps towards democratization, justice,
and the other causes at the heart of the conflct, above and
beyond the formal agreements themselves; specifically, in-depth
legislative reforms regarding indigenous peoplés rights must be
carried out. A dialogue without results removes credibility from
the negotiation process and feeds the search for other answers.
The political advances made at the peace talks must be
accompanied by reductions in military activity, which in turn
give impulse to new agreements and political advances. Along
these same lines, true grounds for reducing the conflict must be
established which include, among other measures, formalizing a
stable treaty which guarantees that neither of the two parties,
nor the EZLN nor the Federal Government, will use military
operations against the other; such a treaty must also insure the
disbanding and disarming of the paramilitary groups and white
guards.
A large combination of actions and measures to reduce the
conflict are necessary at all sites where conflict is present in
Chiapas; these actions must be carried out with the participation
of all involved parties, especially indigenous communities.
II
Although indispensible to the process for peace, adjustments in
the model for dialogue or a state-wide solution for Chiapas are
insufficient measures by themselves. The problem of peace has
adquired a national dimension, since peace is not only the
absence of armed confrontation. Peace cannot exist when more and
more Mexicans live in conditions of misery, insecurity, and
unemployment, in addition to lacking access to education, health
care and housing.
Thus far, State reform has been limited to electoral issues. The
needed transition to democracy is not progressing at the rate
which the situation demands and until now, has excluded the
intervention of a countless number of important actors
nationwide. Moreover, social discontent increasingly spreads,
generated by the implementation of economic policies and measures
which have impoverished millions of Mexicans.
The recent appearance and actions of the EPR in different parts
of the country, coupled with the federal government's response in
calling the EPR a terrorist group and warning to use all forces
available against it, have worsened the already delicate
situation in the country.
Within this framework of increasing national tension, the
recourse to violence is becoming generalized in a great number of
ways; at the same time, the country is dangerously and
increasingly becoming more militarized.
These factors combined put the nation at great risk; one of the
possibilities looming on the horizon is a authoritative response,
which would narrow the peaceful paths for a transition to
democracy; in short, national unity and sovereignty would be
seriously questioned.
The current national context does not favor political process or
negotiation. Neither the San Andres dialogue, nor any other
peaceful intent for resolving conflict, can progress under these
conditions.
This pressing issue of peace cannot be resolved unless it is
interconnected to other national changes which are necessary in
order to make peace a reality. The transition to democracy is
the best path for guaranteeing that peace does not signify the
sacrificing of liberty and justice.
Therefore, favorable conditions must be created and sustained so
that dialogue, reason, ethics and respect for human rights take
their rightful place in decisively influencing political process.
In that way, opportunities for participation and democracy will
be opened up which push towards State reform, which facilitate
ways to confront economic problems from a perspective of social
justice, and which permit the strengthing of independence and
national sovereignty.
Political discussion, dialogue, and negotiation must be urgently
prioritized above the temptation to use force, so that all people
have the opportunity to speak, to listen, and to engage
themselves in society.
III
If the current trends continue, the situation will worsen to the
point of drawing near those risks which threaten the nation's
future. In the face of such risks, society as a whole should
assume responsibility -- the moment has arrived for using the
creativity, imagination and initiative which make justice and
democracy a reality.
The civil society to which we all belong has proven itself
capable of reconstructing itself and acting when the moment of
tragedy or challenge calls. Today, the cause of peace in Mexico
demands all of our energies, all of our generosity, and all of
our hope.
Thus, an inclusive NATIONAL DIALOGUE FOR PEACE IN MEXICO is
urgently needed, where all the actors from throughout our
national territory participate:
- a NATIONAL DIALOGUE which will strengthen the political process
for struggling for peace during a transition to democracy.
- a NATIONAL DIALOGUE among all civil, social, and economic
actors; with political parties and political organizations, later
to be followed by one with the State.
- a NATIONAL DIALOGUE including the EZLN, which has committed
itself to building peace with dignity and justice.
- a NATIONAL DIALOGUE for creating new paths to peace, where the
EPR-PDPR is invited to participate.
- a NATIONAL DIALOGUE where the most pressing agendas, problems,
and challenges are addressed, and where proposals and commitments
for resolving problems are formulated.
- a NATIONAL DIALOGUE which is a multifaceted process that builds
arenas where ALL CIVIL PROPOSALS are brought together, based on
the belief that at this time, a pluralism which respects
differences is indispensible in order to progress towards
building social consensus.
- a NATIONAL DIALOGUE which strengthens and is based on the San
Andres process.
We must attempt to reactivate, combine, and multiply all the
existing efforts and initiatives in an inclusive and unifying
fashion. All actors and proposals have a place in bringing about
and maturing this national dialogue. A great variety of
experiences show that this is possible.
As a part of this larger process, we commit ourselves to
preparing the conditions for an audience where all ideas and
proposals may be expressed and come forth, one which, together
with other steps and actions, leads to the upcoming convening of
a National Congress for Peace in Mexico.
IV
The task of peacemaking corresponds to each and every one of us,
as do the right and the duty to responsibly build the nation and
State that we desire. Therefore:
WE CALL UPON the Legislative and Judicial Branches to use their
powers to implement new actions which contribute to peace
nationwide.
WE CALL UPON the Executive Branch to respect, listen to, and
value the numerous initatives, contributions, and proposals which
are being generated and to fully commit itself to the dialogue
and negotiation process as the path for resolving the conflicts.
WE CALL UPON the Armed Forces to accompany the great national
changes which society calls for, in accord with the terms
established in the Constitution.
WE CALL UPON the organizations which have opted for armed
struggle to explore political and peaceful paths for achieving
their causes and fulfilling their demands, in consultation and
dialogue with civil society.
WE CALL UPON political parties and organizations to go beyond
their legitimate individual interests and to take up society's
demand for true State reform.
WE CALL UPON the EZLN to uphold its willingness to listen to
civil society, to participate in this initiatve, and to remain
firm on the path of political struggle; and we invite the EZLN to
consider the COCOPÁs and CONAÍs proposals for strengthening and
renewing the San Andres dialogue.
WE CALL UPON indigenous peoples to continue nourishing our
nation's dignity and identity in defense of their rights and
their cultures.
WE CALL UPON peasant farmers, workers, businesspeople, community
organizations, universities, and churches; we call upon youth,
women, and men throughout society to continue exercising their
responsibility during this serious hour and to promote
opportunities and paths for dialogue and peace with democracy,
justice, and dignity.
Finally, we invite other organizations and individuals to become
a part of this effort, and we ask for you to inform us if you
decide to do so by calling us at (52-5) 543-36-60 or 523-04-92.
We also invite all organizations, individuals, and sectors of
society to participate in establishing measures for promoting the
National Dialogue, and also for planning the National Congress
for Peace in Mexico. In mid-October we will call an initial
meeting for sharing our experiences and beginning the
organizational process.
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