SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS, Chiapas - Mexico's government released three Zapatista sympathizers Thursday who were sentenced to eight years in jail in the southern state of Chiapas.

Rafael Lopez Satis, Gustavo Estrada and Alejandro Mendez were found guilty of drug trafficking, weapon violations and criminal association.

Their release was the latest attempt by President Vicente Fox to bring the Zapatista rebels back to the negotiating table.

Fox made bringing peace to troubled Chiapas a top priority after taking office in December 2000. He has closed seven army bases built to surround Zapatista strongholds, freed nearly 100 rebel prisoners and sent a Zapatista-backed Indian rights bill to Congress. But the rebels refused to resume formal peace talks with the government after legislators watered down the bill.

"I am happy to leave prison and be reunited again with my family," Mendez said. "I will join (rebel) ranks to continue the armed fight, and if it is necessary give my blood and life for the improvement of Mexico's Indian villages."

Luis Alvarez, Fox's peace envoy, said he hoped the rebels saw the release as a good will gesture by Fox's government, but Mendez said the only reason he believed he was being freed was because he had served more than half of his sentence.

Zapatista guerrillas staged a bloody 12-day rebellion in the name of Indian rights in 1994, but since then their conflict with the government has been mostly a war of words.