Zapatistas hold demonstrations in Mexico

The Mexican President, Vicente Fox, has said he is ready to accept demands made by Zapatista rebels if they would lay down their weapons and reach agreements.

Mr Fox, speaking in a radio broadcast, was responding to a statement made during demonstrations on Friday on behalf of the Zapatista leader, Subcomandante Marcos, who insisted that the rebels would not return to the negotiating table until all his conditions were met. He acknowledged that Mr Fox's government had made some gestures towards meeting the demands. However the Zapatista leader had presented his demands as a pre-condition for resuming peace talks, and not an exchange for a final peace accord as the president suggested. The rebels have called on the government to withdraw troops from seven bases in Chiapas, release Zapatista prisoners, and approve stalled legislation strengthening the rights of indigenous people.

Since taking office last month, President Fox has begun fulfilling all three conditions.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service