April 13, 1998

Letter to Zedillo on Expulsion of Foreigners

To Ernesto Zedillo, President of Mexico.
On the expulsion of foreigners from Chiapas.

Easter Sunday
April 12, 1998

Dear Mr. Zedillo,

You want all the foreigners of out Chiapas? You want foreigners to stop meddling in the internal affairs of a sovereign Mexico? You want all foreign involvement in Mexico's "internal" conflict with the Zapatistas to cease?

OK. Fine. I agree with you. Let's stop ALL the involvement of foreigners in the Chiapas conflict. Let's stop the involvement of the U.S. Department of Defense. Let's stop the involvement of all U.S. intelligence agencies from the United States, including the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and the many intelligence agencies that are part of the U.S. military. Let's stop the involvement of the U.S. Special Operations Forces. Let's stop training Mexican military personnel at U.S. bases. Let's stop cooperative training arrangements between Mexican and U.S. law enforcement agencies. Let's stop Drug Enforcement Administration involvement as the War on Drugs is merely a pretext to arm your military and police. Let's stop financial support for your government from the United States. Let's stop selling off Mexican corporations to foreign investors.

Great idea Mr. Zedillo. There should be no foreign intervention in the Chiapas conflict. You can start by giving back to the United States all the U-H 40 Black Hawk helicopters we gave you. You can return all the night vision scopes and laser guided weapons to the DEA. You can ship back to the U.S. all the fancy anti-riot equipment you've acquired. And we can take back all the sophisticated communication equipment that you have on Alien Hill just outside of San Cristobal de las Casas. And while you're at, you might as well dismantle all the communication equipment on the roof of the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. And you should stop using U.S. spy satellites that are flying over Mexico.

If you start to do all this Mr. Zedillo, then I will start to tell all my friends that no one should go to Mexico, that we shouldn't interfere in Mexican internal affairs. But you won't do this, will you Mr. Zedillo? You really don't have any intention of eliminating foreign involvement in Mexico, do you? You are perfectly happy to continue to be a host for foreign involvement that supports your government and your party, aren't you?

We know why you want foreigners out of Chiapas. It is because you want to want to eliminate the Zapatistas and you don't want anyone to watch you do it. You know that foreign attention on Chiapas is one of the reasons why the Zapatistas have continued to survive and you want to get rid of that attention.

Maybe you can temporarily deport some of us from your country. But you can never eliminate us. We will never go away. You will continue to be the subject of opposition both from within and outside of Mexico. And eventually you and your party will lose.

Stefan Wray
New York Zapatistas