Zapatistas to address Mexico leaders

Zapatistas will present their case to a special joint committee

By Peter Greste in Mexico City

An unarmed delegation from the Zapatista rebels will appear before Mexico's congress on Wednesday to present its case for indigenous rights legislation.

The thought of sworn enemies being allowed into the very heart of the state is too much to bear and many plan to boycott the event

The meeting has been the central aim of the guerrilla movement's long march from their base in the southern state of Chiapas to Mexico City. But it has also been highly controversial.

By any standards, this meeting is likely to be an extraordinary event - masked guerrillas in combat fatigues who formally declared war on the Mexican state, standing before the nation's legislators to argue why they should pass a law defending indigenous rights.

To some congressmen the whole notion is abhorrent.

Congress split

The thought of sworn enemies being allowed into the very heart of the state is too much to bear and many plan to boycott the event.

Zapatistas have thousands of supporters in Mexico

A delegation of Zapatista commanders, including its leader, Subcomandante Marcos, will present its case to a special joint committee of both the congress and senate.

They want the parliament to pass an indigenous rights bill that has the support of the president, Vicente Fox, but that has also deeply split congress, including Mr Fox's own party.

If the bill becomes law, indigenous communities would have the right to administer a traditional form of justice and local administration.

Key weapon

Its critics argue that the measures could lead to human rights abuses, that they are fundamentally undemocratic and that they could ultimately lead to the break up of the state.

President Fox: Conciliatory moves

But the Zapatistas have also warned that the passage of the law is a key demand before they start formal peace negotiations.

The government has already met their other conditions - the withdrawal of troops from seven key military bases and the release of rebel prisoners.

But there is no guarantee that the bill will pass.

And the Zapatistas have all but given up one key negotiating point - in a weekend interview Subcomandante Marcos admitted that they were unlikely to ever return to arms.

Even so they still have a powerful weapon on their side - a groundswell of public support both here and abroad.