Mexico inaugurated a new president on Saturday, 2 December, ending seven decades of PRI rule. Vincente Fox of the right-wing PAN party took control, promising to end authoritarianism and corruption in government, while outside the lavish cereony, riot police clashed with anti-globalisation protesters.
Meanwhile, the Zapatistas broke their five-month silence by announcing they would travel to the Capital in February to restart peace talks with the new government. Speaking at a press conference in the Zapatista bastion of La Realidad, deep in the Lacandon Jungle, Sub-Commandante Marcos, surrounded by 20 armed insurgents, said he and 24 commandantes would address the Congress of the Union (the Mexican equivelent of the Dáil). In a new conciliatary tone, the rebels exhibited their willingness to negotiate with the new government and enter into a political dialogue.
"The objective of the EZLN,'' explained Marcos, referring to the intended mission to Mexico City, "is not only gain recognition for indigenous rights, finish the war and establish a just peace, but also to emerge as a political force, but not as a political party.''
The new president responded enthusiastically to the Zapatista announcements. "Yesterday we recieved with immense happiness the great news that the EZLN accepts to return to dialogue with this government''. On Sunday, he ordered the withdrawal of 10,000 troops from the conflict zone and the closure of 53 army roadblocks, the majority of them situated near Zapatista strongholds. The EZLN in turn welcomed the new administration's gesture, but pointed out that there are 259 army positions in Chiapas and a presence of over 50,000 troops.
The three conditions laid down by the rebels to renew talks are the closure of six key army bases in the rebel zone, for the government to comply with the San Andres Agreements and the freeing of all Zapatista prisoners. Newly elected Governor of the Chiapas state, Pablo Salazar of the opposition Alliance, agreed "It is necessary to reduce the army presence and the three conditions of the EZLN are totally attainable,'' he said, welcoming "with hope, the language of the new times''.
The Zapatistas say they remain sceptical of these latest promises, having experienced a long tradition of betrayal by the authorities, but they are prepared to accept the proferred goodwill of the new government. One plan being studied at the moment by the Fox administration is to create a demilitarised zone, a `zona-blanca', of 5,000km squared under total Zapatista control.
President Fox, despite his promises of a new dawn for Mexico and Chiapas, still insists on advancing the previous administration's neoliberalisation policies. At a meeting with business leaders last week, he said: "Globalisation provokes social inequality, marginalisation and tensions, but as well it guarantees equal access to the markets, information and technology.''
For one masked Zapatista demonstrating at a road protest in San Cristobal this weekend, it was business as usual. "Fox could be worse for us. We have no illusions. We expect things to get worse over the next few years.''