Wednesday March 28 3:37 PM ET
Mexican Guerrillas Make Historic Congress Address

By Elizabeth Fullerton

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Masked Mexican Zapatista rebels made an unprecedented appearance before Congress on Wednesday to deliver an impassioned plea for Indian rights but most members of President Vicente Fox's party boycotted the historic session.

``We don't come to conquer, to supplant anyone...We come to be heard and to listen to you and to make dialogue,'' Commander Esther who spoke first, said in stilted Spanish against a backdrop of two enormous national flags flanked by plaques bearing names of illustrious personalities in Mexican history.

The rebel's charismatic military strategist and spokesman, Subcommander Marcos, was noticeably absent from the motley rebel command seated in the front benches as Commander Esther, wearing a black knitted ski-mask and red and white embroidered shawl, spoke to the half empty chamber.

Esther, who spoke for 25 minutes, said Marcos was absent because as a subcommander he was of lower rank and not the sole voice of the rebels. ``We gave Marcos and those who share our hopes and yearnings the mission to bring us to this tribune ... now is our hour.''

Four rebel commanders in all addressed senators and deputies from the podium of the Lower House -- a privilege normally reserved for Mexican presidents, foreign heads of states, ministers and lawmakers.

The rebels' landmark appearance before Congress was aimed at convincing lawmakers to pass an indigenous rights bill giving greater autonomy to Indian communities -- a key rebel condition for resuming peace talks.

The majority of deputies from Fox's conservative National Action Party (PAN) earlier said they would not attend in protest and that they oppose negotiating with people in masks.

Indigenous braided women wearing colorful frilly skirts and shawls and men in white with red sashes and tasseled hats packed the public gallery to watch the high political drama.

In response to frequently cited concerns that the Indian rights bill would fracture the nation's unity, Esther said Mexico was already deeply divided and that Indians lived in danger of extinction.

``In this fragmented country we Indians live with the shame of being the color that we are,'' said Esther.

The Zapatistas, who rose up in 1994 in the name of Mexico's 10 million Indians, marched, unarmed, to the capital from their jungle hide-out in Southern Chiapas some two weeks ago, amassing grass-roots support during their 12-state trek.

Early Victory For Rebels

The event marks an early victory on the part of the rebels, who last week threatened to return to Chiapas if they were not allowed to speak before Congress.

Fox, who was not invited to attend the session, said he hoped the rebels succeeded in convincing lawmakers of the importance of the indigenous bill, which is aimed at giving greater autonomy to indigenous communities.

``Today is not the point of arrival but the point of departure so that this, our dear Mexico, pays the enormous debt that it has with 10 million indigenous brothers and sisters,'' he said in a statement.

Three other rebel chiefs spoke after Esther's address, urging lawmakers to approve the indigenous rights bill.

Commander David said: ``For nearly 500 years, the sons and grandsons of the (Spanish) conquerors did everything possible to exterminate us ... They imposed their laws, their ideas, their politics, beliefs and their gods in order to make what was ours disappear.''

Commander Zebedeo said lawmakers had it in their power to right these wrongs and open the way for peace.

``If you want to win the confidence of the Mexican people, if you want to pay your debt, if you want to be loyal and faithful to your word that you gave during your campaigns, now is the moment to fulfill that, to settle accounts...,'' he said.

Fox has continued this week to make concessions to the rebels who have said they will return to the negotiating table on condition troops are withdrawn from seven bases in the conflict zone, all rebel prisoners are freed and a law protecting indigenous rights is passed.

Monday the government pulled out troops from the last two remaining bases of the seven in Chiapas.

Fox, who is the first Mexican president in seven decades not a member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), sent the indigenous rights bill to Congress within days of being sworn in last December.

The Zapatistas' guerrilla war -- launched on New Year's Day 1994 -- and subsequent clashes between rebel sympathizers and PRI-back paramilitaries have claimed up to 200 lives.

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