La Jornada
Juan Manuel Venegas
June 15, 2001

"There is no longer a conflict in Chiapas, we have blessed peace" affirmed president Vicente Fox Quesada, and suggested in defense of the Plan Puebla-Panama (PPP), to "not give any more space or power to the zapatismo," a movement which according to him was "in the process of deactivation."

For the first time since assuming the presidency of the republic, Fox Quesada diminished the zapatista movement, and although he did not mention the suspension of the dialogue with the EZLN, he similarly reduced it's importance too:

"There are no talks, but there is no violence either and both parts are peacefully (government and EZLN), and in fact we are working at the development of the communities in Chiapas and all the indigenous communities in Mexico."

In the Salvadoran capital, where this Friday the negotiations of the Puebla-Panama Plan formally began with the discussion of the financial basis, the local newspaper La Prensa Gráfica published in their today's edition a lengthy interview with the Mexican president, who emphasized his conviction that the Zapatista movement of Chiapas will not interfere in the concretisation of the development project he is heading, as he acknowledged to the governments of the Central American Isthmus. "The PPP is thousand times more than the Zapatismo or an indigenous community in Chiapas," affirmed Fox.

"What do you reply to the critics of the Puebla-Panama Plan? I'm thinking of the Zapatistas who oppose the advances of neoliberalism in the region," asked a reporter of the mentioned newspaper.

"My only reply is to make the plan known to them, and we are going to present it to them and to all the indigenas of the region, and to all the citizens of the region, and to all the ONG's, industrialists, deputies and governments of the region. We all must be involved in the plan and all voices must be taken into account.

It is important that they see, that this development plan does not carry any hidden letter and doesn't attempt anything against anybody, but simply serves to generate better opportunities for all and to impel the sustainable development."

"When the states of southern Mexico will be adjusted more closely with Central America (as the PPP proposes), will the Chiapas conflict and the Zapatistas then also become a Central American subject?"

"No, look, the Zapatista subject is not the subject of Mexico, far from it. It is necessary to place it in the right dimension, but in addition there is a very strong process of deactivation of the conflict. In fact, there is no longer a conflict, we are in blessed peace. It is not necessary to give more space or influence to the Zapatismo. It does not have anything to do with the Puebla-Panama Plan, except in case there is some project which a community does not want to happen through that zone, then we will set it somewhere else, we are not going to fight anyone

It seems to me we do not have to orient the subject towards Zapatismo. The PPP is thousand times more than the Zapatismo or an Indigenous community in Chiapas. Everything that is Puebla-Panama is positive.

As about those very isolated voices that present a problem, certainly one will have to take care of them, to integrate them and to talk with them, but I do not want the press to confuse a development plan with a regional problem of this great Mesoamerican region," emphasized the Mexican president.

Fox Quesada arrived at the capital at ca. 14:00. After the reception ceremony held for him by president Francisco Flores Perez in the presidential residence of San Jacinto and the signing of the agreements of cooperation between both governments, the chief executives gave a press conference in which the declarations to La Gráfica were repeated.

Message to the investors

Fox said:

"What I would say to both critics and investors? That this Puebla-Panama Plan is a sum of wills to impel a process of human development, in first term to fight poverty; it is a process of economic development that attempts precisely to create the conditions of infrastructure, the conditions of a scenery for a propitious economic development, and that all those living within the region and outside the region have the opportunity to participate and to contribute ideas; Everybody will be listened to, everybody will be consulted, not only the indigenous communities, but all the communities in the region. It is a plan based on agreement, it is a plan that unifies wills and it is a plan of work to impel the sustainable development in the entire region."

"And what about the Zapatistas?" was insisted.

"The Chiapas conflict has been for six years a conflict without violence, there has been no violence and there is none of it at this moment either.

I do admit that there are no talks, but that there is no violence either and we are peaceful on both parts, and that in fact we are indeed working at the development of the communities in Chiapas, and of all the indigenous communities in the Mexican territory...

"Could the the unsolved conflict in Chiapas to any time affect the development of the Puebla-Panama Plan?

"We are integrating everybody in the process of elaboration and structuring of the plan. Everybody must be included because the plan is also supposed to benefit everybody. All subjects dealing with ecology and natural resources will be respected; all subjects dealing with communities, families, with municipalities, with states will be respected; everything that will be dealt with will be respected, so that the process is a process of sustainable development with everybody's agreement and participation.