La
Jornada Thursday, April 20, 2000.
by Andrea Becerril.
PRD and PAN Representatives in Cocopa Demand
Dismantling of Those Groups
PRD and PAN legislators who make up the Commission of Concordance
and Peace (Cocopa) are demanding concrete actions by the federal
government to dismantle paramilitaries operating in the conflict
zone in Chiapas. ""It's not enough for the Department
of Justice of the Republic (PGR) to open a special prosecutor's
office in San Cristo'bal de Las Casas. What is important is
the political will necessary to locate and to dismantle those
armed groups," warned PRD Deputy Gilberto Lo'pez y Rivas.
Interviewed separately, PAN Senator Luis H. Alvarez warned that
the federal government is obligated to carry out concrete actions
in order to prevent indigenous communities from being attacked
by those armed groups and from being forced to abandon their
villages, as has been taking place over the last few years.
On this issue, Lo'pez y Rivas made note of the fact that his
party has been denouncing the risk of new massacres such as
Acteal, owing to the increasing activity of paramilitaries in
regions of zapatista influence. He also recalled that one year
ago, when he was presiding over the Cocopa, he presented a formal
denunciation to the PGR on this point, without any progress
at all having been made.
To date, he noted, after more than 12 months had gone by, the
prosecutor's office had not had any results, or made any arrests,
despite the fact that "I delivered documents of all kinds
that located paramilitaries in the regions in which they are
operating, and which could even lead to detecting their ramifications
within the Army itself. I also saw that they got the Department
of National Defense's Manual of Irregular War, which discusses
armed civilian groups - as the PGR calls them - as part of the
Army's strategy against guerrillas. I don't believe any member
of the Sedena has been called upon to investigate in that regard."
Because of that, he went on, in response to the opening of a
kind of special prosecutor who will have to operate in the PGR
headquarters in San Cristo'bal de las Casas, one cannot be optimistic.
"It will have to be seen if they, in fact, take the necessary
steps to break up the paramilitaries, when everyone knows they
have the support of the state's political and military forces."
Added to that, he said, the presence of paramilitaries has intensified
in several of the communities. During the trip which legislators
and members of civil society took to the Selva and Los Altos
last weekend, he stated "we were able to confirm that there
are groups who are enjoying complete impunity, and they can
often be found alongside military personnel at their own checkpoints.
"What, then, is the point of opening a special prosecutor
in order to learn about the crimes of armed civilian groups
in Chiapas?" Lo'pez and Rivas insisted. He also asked if
there would be willingness to go above the leaders of Peace
and Justice or Los Chinchulines, who are well-known PRIs, and
some of whom are still participating in state and even federal
legislatures.
This represents, he believed, more of an attempt by the federal
government to be able to say that they are handling things well,
and that attacks by paramilitaries against indigenous will be
prevented, "when in reality they are supporting them, and
it is obvious to everyone that they are there, acting, attacking
and terrorizing the chiapaneco indigenous."
Concerning this issue and in a separate interview, PAN Senator
Luis H. Alvarez said that, even though there had been no political
willingness on the part of either the authorities or the Zapatista
Army of National Liberation (EZLN) to renew dialogue, the greatest
responsibility rests with the federal government, which is obligated
to make a greater effort to return to the negotiating table.
In this regard, he concluded, a demonstration of a real intention
that it wants to resolve the conflict would be to disarm the
paramilitaries and to take the other steps necessary for easing
the tensions.
Originally published in Spanish by La Jornada
Translated by irlandesa |