[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 141 (Friday, October 9, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12184-S12185]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 128--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS 
REGARDING MEASURES TO ACHIEVE A PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF THE CONFLICT IN 
                      THE STATE OF CHIAPAS, MEXICO

  Mr. LEAHY (for himself, Mr. Dodd, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Kerry, Mrs. 
Murray, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Feingold, Mr. Harkin, Mr. 
Bumpers, Mr. Wellstone, Mr. Jeffords, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. 
Wyden, and Ms. Mikulski) submitted the following concurrent resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                            S. Con. Res. 128

       Whereas the United States and Mexico have a long history of 
     close relations and share many economic and security 
     interests;
       Whereas the democratic and prosperous Mexico is in the 
     interest of the United States;
       Whereas the United States is providing assistance and 
     licensing exports of military equipment to Mexican security 
     forces for counter-narcotics purposes;
       Whereas the Department of State has documented human rights 
     violations by Mexican security forces and paramilitary 
     groups;
       Whereas the conflict in Chiapas, Mexico has resulted in the 
     deaths and disappearance of innocent civilians;
       Whereas the lack of progress in implementing a preliminary 
     peace agreement signed in 1996 and the presence of tens of 
     thousands of Mexican soldiers, as well as paramilitary and 
     other groups, have contributed to increased political tension 
     and violence in Chiapas and the absence of basic human rights 
     protections;
       Whereas the persistence of political tension and violence 
     has exacerbated the impoverished conditions of indigenous 
     people in Chiapas;
       Whereas thousands of indigenous people in Chiapas have fled 
     their homes as a result of the violence and are living in 
     deplorable conditions;
       Whereas despite President Zedillo's calls for negotiations 
     and repeated visits to chiapas, efforts to negotiate a 
     peaceful resolution of the conflict have been unsuccessful 
     and the National Mediation Commission was dissolved after the 
     resignation of its President, Bishop Samuel Ruiz, due to the 
     lack of progress in the peace process; and
       Whereas the summary expulsions of United States citizens 
     and human rights monitors from Mexico raise concerns about 
     the commitment of the Government of Mexico to freedom of 
     movement, association and expression. Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that the 
     Secretary of State should--
       (1) take effective measures to ensure that United States 
     assistance and exports of equipment to Mexican security 
     forces--
       (A) are used primarily for counter-narcotics purposes; and
       (B) do not contribute to human rights violations;
       (2) encourage the Government of Mexico to reduce political 
     tension and violence in Chiapas by disarming paramilitary 
     groups and decreasing its military presence there;
       (3) commend the Government of Mexico for inviting the 
     United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit 
     Mexico to discuss the Chiapas conflict;
       (4) encourage the Government of Mexico and the Zapatista 
     National Liberation Army to take steps to create conditions 
     for good faith negotiations that address the social, economic 
     and political causes of the conflict to achieve a peaceful 
     and lasting resolution of the conflict, and to vigorously 
     pursue such negotiations;
       (5) support efforts to provide relief assistance to 
     displaced persons in Chiapas and adequate monitoring of such 
     assistance; and
       (6) seek a commitment from the Government of Mexico to 
     respect the rights of United States citizens and human rights 
     monitors in Mexico in accordance with Mexican law and 
     international law.

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am today submitting a Concurrent 
Resolution expressing the sense of Congress regarding measures to 
achieve a peaceful resolution of the conflict in the state of Chiapas, 
Mexico.
  This resolution is cosponsored by Senator Dodd, who is the ranking 
member of the Western Hemisphere subcommittee and among the most 
knowledgeable Members of Congress on Mexican affairs, Senator 
Feinstein, Senator Bingaman, Senator Jeffords, Senator Feingold, 
Senator Kerry of Massachusetts, Senator Wellstone, Senator Bumpers, 
Senator Boxer, Senator Kennedy, Senator Durbin, Senator Murray, Senator 
Wyden, Senator Harkin, and Senator Mikulski.
  Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi is today introducing an identical 
resolution in the House of Representatives.
  Mr. President, the purpose of this resolution is to convey our 
support for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Chiapas that has 
been simmering since the Zapatista uprising in 1994. Since then, and 
despite attempts at negotiations, the situation remains explosive. 
Scores of innocent people, mostly impoverished Indians, have been 
killed. Thousands have fled their homes and are living in squalid 
conditions, made unbearable by the recent flooding.
  This resolution does not attempt to take sides or to dictate an 
outcome. The situation in Chiapas is a complex one that has social, 
ethnic, economic and political dimensions. It is a manifestation of 
years of Mexican history. It is for the Mexican people to resolve.
  But despite its complexities, there is no doubt that the indigenous 
people of Chiapas have been the victims of centuries of injustice. Most 
do not own any land and they live--as their parents and grandparents 
did--in abject poverty. The Zapatista uprising was a reflection of that 
injustice and despair, and the political tension and violence of recent 
years has only exacerbated their plight.

  To his credit, President Zedillo has called for a resumption of 
negotiations and has visited Chiapas several times. Recently, his 
government invited Mary Robinson, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human 
Rights, to visit Mexico to discuss the Chiapas situation. I welcome 
that. But there remains a deep distrust between the two sides, and no 
sign that the government's strategy is working. This resolution calls 
on our Secretary of State to encourage the Mexican Government and the

[[Page S12185]]

Zapatistas to support negotiations that address the underlying causes 
of the conflict, to achieve lasting peace.
  Mr. President, this resolution is not meant to embarrass or 
interfere. It is to convey our concern about the people of Chiapas, and 
the urgent need for concrete progress to resolve a conflict that has 
cost many innocent lives and which threatens the economic and political 
development of our southern neighbor.
  Many Senators may not know the history of the Chiapas conflict. After 
the 1994 uprising, the Zapatistas and the government tried to resolve 
the conflict peacefully. Those negotiations collapsed in 1996 when the 
Mexican Government walked away from a partial agreement which would 
have given the inhabitants of Chiapas greater rights.
  Since then the situation has gotten worse. Last December, Mexican 
paramilitary forces killed 45 unarmed civilians in the village of 
Acteal. In June, two police officers and eight villagers died when 
Mexican soldiers and police clashed with Zapatista supporters. There 
are now tens of thousands of Mexican soldiers who patrol the roads in 
and out of Chiapas in armored vehicles. They patrol the skies in low 
flying helicopters. They surround the impoverished communities of 
Zapatista supporters, who, not surprisingly, see the government as 
their enemy. On top of that, there are armed paramilitary groups who 
have been responsible for some of the worst atrocities.
  The dissolution of the National Mediation Commission after the 
resignation of its President, Bishop Samuel Ruiz, has further impeded 
efforts to resolve the conflict peacefully.
  I regularly receive reports of violence or harassment directed 
against human rights monitors, including American citizens, who have 
been summarily expelled from Mexico for activities that amount to 
nothing more than criticizing the policies of the Mexican Government.
  One case I have followed closely involves an American priest who 
lived in Chiapas for some 19 years. He was arrested, driven to the 
airport, accused of engaging in illegal political activity on the basis 
of anonymous, unsubstantiated allegations, and summarily expelled. 
Efforts by myself, the American Ambassador, and the Department of State 
to correct this injustice have been entirely unsuccessful. The Mexican 
Government has consistently misrepresented the facts in his case.
  Despite President Zedillo's repeated calls for renewed dialogue with 
the Zapatistas and their supporters, and despite the fact that the 
Zapatistas do not pose a credible threat to the Mexican Government, the 
Mexican Government's actions have not improved the situation. The 
government seems to believe that it can solve the problem by 
simultaneously threatening and holding out promises to Zapatista 
supporters, even though they live in the same miserable conditions as 
their parents, their parents' parents, and their grandparents' 
grandparents, and they deeply distrust the government.
  Mr. President, the United States and Mexico share many interests. We 
have worked together to address concerns on both sides of the border. I 
have no doubt that the government and the Zapatistas can solve this 
problem, if they want to. But we must also recognize that violence and 
instability in Mexico directly affect United States economic and 
security interests, and human rights abuses, wherever and however they 
occur, deserve our attention.
  This Resolution reflects a balanced approach. Neither side in the 
conflict is blameless. To resolve it peacefully, both must want peace 
and be willing to take steps to create the conditions that make it 
possible for good faith negotiations to succeed, and then sit down at 
the table together.
  The Resolution urges the Secretary of State to ensure that the United 
States is not contributing to the political violence, by reaffirming 
current law which limits assistance and exports of equipment only to 
Mexican security forces who are primarily involved in counter-narcotics 
activities and who do not commit human rights abuses.
  It calls on the Mexican Government to respect the rights of American 
citizens and human rights monitors in Mexico.
  Mr. President, some may ask why we are submitting this Resolution 
today, when this conflict has been simmering for years. One reason is 
that after all this time the problem is no closer to being solved. It 
has gotten worse, not better. The recent flooding has caused an urgent, 
humanitarian crisis among displaced people in Chiapas who are 
struggling to survive. And last week's elections showed, not 
surprisingly, that fully half the people in Chiapas have no faith in 
the political process.
  In short, the status quo is unacceptable. The violence is 
unacceptable. The lack of any meaningful peace process is unacceptable. 
There is no reason why so many civilians have died. There is no reason 
why the causes of the conflict cannot be openly discussed and 
effectively addressed.
  This Resolution sends a message to the Mexican Government, the 
Zapatistas, our own administration and the international community that 
an intensified effort is needed urgently to resolve the conflict 
peacefully.
  Mr. President, I want to thank the other Senators who have 
cosponsored this resolution

                          ____________________