MEXICO: PRESIDENT ERNESTO ZEDILLO ORDERS ARREST OF REBEL LEADER скачать в хорошем качестве

MEXICO: PRESIDENT ERNESTO ZEDILLO ORDERS ARREST OF REBEL LEADER

(10 Feb 1995) Spanish/Nat In a new hardline approach, Mexico's President Ernesto Zedillo has ordered the arrest of the Zapatista rebel leader, known as Commandante Marcos and 12 other rebel leaders. He has also ordered fresh troops into the troubled region. This move comes after Mexican authorities claimed to have unmasked the rebel leader and uncovered an arms cache. On Thursday night, sympathisers of the Zapatista rebels took to the streets to protests against the governments shift in policy. The rebels have, since their rebellion started in January last year, captured the imagination of many poor Mexicans. They see the Zapatista's struggle for the rights of the indigenous population in southern Mexico as apart of a larger struggle for social justice in the country. But Thursday night, President Ernesto Zedillo went on nation-wide television claiming that it was the rebels who were responsible for a breakdown in negotiations. SOUNDBITE: "Yesterday the Attorney General discovered two clandestine locations in Mexico City and Veracruz state. A group of Zapatistas was arrested in possession of high-power guns, like grenades, mortar ammunition and explosives." SUPER CAPTION: Ernesto Zedillo, President of Mexico He has now ordered the capture of the rebel leader known as Commander Marcos and 12 other leaders, five of them have also been identified. They are to be charged with sedition, treason, terrorism and possession of military weapons banned for civilian use. In January 1994, Marcos led a uprising demanding land, education and better living conditions for the Maya Indian communities. At least 145 people died in the fighting, mostly Indian rebels, After 12 days a cease fire that still holds was declared. The poorly armed guerrilla group lost the battle in the jungle, but was winning the war in the political arena. During on and off negotiations, Marcos captured the imagination and, in many instances, the hearts of millions of Mexicans. President Zedillo's new hardline approach follows claims by the security forces that they have identified the rebel leader Marcos. During a press conference they claimed that he is the son of a wealthy family from the northern state of Tamaulipas. The name of the 38-year-old man who allegedly left everything behind to fight for the rights of Mexican Indians is Rafael Sebastian Guillen Vicente. And the Mexican government says it has pictures of the enigmatic rebel in the ski mask. In the southern state of Chiapas, the Zapatistas told reporters that they had declared a "red alert", cut down trees, dug trenches and planted mines along roads that lead into territory controlled by them. President Zedillo, in office since December 1st, is under intense pressure to reassure investors about Mexico's stability, especially after the worst economic crisis in decades. After the recent meltdown on Mexico's financial markets recovery of the economy demands massive foreign investment, and the lingering Zapatista crisis is scaring thousands of investors away. Mexican troops are now reported to be heading for rebel territory in the southern province of Chiapas after the government claimed that the rebels were plotting another round of attacks on towns and villages Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...