SAN ANDRES LARRINZAR - At midday yesterday, in this Chiapas village in south east Mexico, Zapatista rebels and government delegates signed a historic peace accord on Indigenous Rights setting the stage for a profound transformation of Mexico's political system, Michael McCaughan reports.
The government proposal was accepted by 96 per cent of rebel supporters, consulted in hundreds of communities in the Lacandon jungle. "The accord represents the triumph of a new firm of dialogue and political participation, one that has never before been achieved" said rebel commander, Tacho.
The accord promises sweeping constitutional reforms to guarantee indigenous access to natural resources in their territories, autonomy for indigenous communities, the right to elect a leaders and administer justice according to traditional law.