Here’s a recent communique from the EZLN which discusses the goals and locations of the upcoming Intercontinental Encuentro – as well as the four introductory meetings that precede it.
September 16, 2007
To the People of Mexico:
To the Adherents of the Sixth Declaration and the Other Campaign:
Brothers and Sisters:
Compañeros and Compañeras:
On this new anniversary of the struggle for the first independence of Mexico, the EZLN communicates the following:
About the Encounter of the Indigenous Peoples of America:
First. A delegation of the Zapatista leadership, composed of three comandantas, three comandantes, and one subcomandante, will attend the Encounter of the Indigenous Peoples of America, to be held October 11, 12, 13, and 14 of 2007.
Second. This and other delegations of the Zapatista leadership will attend, when possible, the preparatory meetings for the encounter, to be held in the following places:
Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico. October 4-5, 2007.
San Pedro Atapulco, Mexico State. October 6-7, 2007.
Nurío, Purépecha Territory, Michoacan, Mexico. October 7-8, 2007.
Rancho el Peñasco, Territory of the Tohono Od’ham Nation, Magadalena de Kino, Sonora, Mexico. October 8-9, 2007.
Third. We remind all of the adherents of the Sixth Declaration, both nationally and internationally, that you are invited to the Encounter and, if you plan to attend, to register on the webpage of the EZLN’s Sixth Commission.
We ask the same of those who have been invited by the Organizing Commission.
About the Second Phase of the Other Campaign in the Central and Southern Zones of Mexico.
First. In order to carry out the work of the EZLN’s Sixth Commission in this second phase in the central and southern Zones of our country, a delegation of 24 comandantes and comandantas of the Zapatista leadership will leave from the city of San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, on the 26th of September, 2007, en route to Mexico City.
There the delegation will be organized into 8 groups which will visit adherents in the states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacan, Guerrero, Morelos, Guanajuato, Queretaro, Hidalgo, La Huasteca, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Yucatan, Campeche, Tabasco, Mexico State, and the Federal District.
The visits will be held in the months of October, November, and December of 2007 according to a detailed calendar which will be released shortly.
Second. As you will recall, the objective of this second phase is to create an initial outline of a National Program of Struggle. For this reason, the groups of the Sixth Commission of the EZLN will concentrate in particular on meetings with adherents in the distinct geographic points of the center and south of our country.
Third. If in the first phase, the objective was to get to know each other, and thus “this is what I am and here I am” were the most important words to be spoken, now the principal points are how we see the world and this country, and what are the demands (what do we want?) that we have or that we have detected at national, regional, and local levels.
Fourth. For this reason, we respectfully request of the different organizational entities of the Other in their states, regions, subregions, and localities, that the organization of the visit of the Sixth Commission to their locales be focused exclusively on the meetings necessary to listen to the demands brought by adherents and sympathizers.
Fifth. With the goal of advancing the outline of the National Plan of Struggle, a support team will accompany each delegation of the Sixth Commission and will be in charge of recording and keeping minutes of each meeting.
Sixth. We also respectfully request of adherents their support in providing food and lodging for the group and the support team that visits them, as well as help with the gasoline for the vehicles in which they will travel.
Seventh. As is public knowledge, our communities are currently suffering a new attack by the federal and state governments (by PANistas and PRDistas, respectively), for which reason it is possible we would have to cancel this trip and take other measures.
Liberty and Justice for Atenco!
Liberty and Justice for Oaxaca!
From the mountains of the Mexican Southeast,
Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos.
Mexico, September, 2007.
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