Chiapas: government closes key military base

The Mexican authorities have closed a controversial military base in the southern state of Chiapas where Zapatista rebels have been battling government forces for almost seven years.

A group of masked rebels looked on as the last contingent of troops was flown by helicopter from the base at Amador Hernandez in the heart of Zapatista territory.

The pull-out came on the third anniversary of what's become known as the Acteal massacre in which forty-five indigenous Indians were shot dead during the clashes between rebels and paramilitaries. The Chiapas state governor, Pablo Salazar, described the killings as a terrible open wound. The Mexican president, Vicente Fox, has described the Chiapas peace accord signed by the previous administration in 1996 as a top priority.

The closure of the base at Amador Hernandez, along with six others, was a key rebel demand ahead of the resumption of peace talks.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service