[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
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