Mexican human rights groups have criticised a memorandum of intent signed yesterday by Mexico and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. It commits both parties to establishing a human rights technical assistance programme, to monitor progress on related issues.
The commissioner, Mrs Mary Robinson, and Mexico's Foreign Minister, Ms Rosario Green, signed the document which, however, establishes no date to begin the work. "Once more the Mexican government has achieved its objective," declared Mexico's network of human rights groups in a statement, "by hosting a high-level visit, appearing to show political will to improve the human rights situation without any risk that such a visit might translate into actions on its part".
Mrs Robinson originally requested that a technical commission be permitted to carry out field-work in advance of the trip. The Mexican government presented a counter proposal, offering to receive a UN technical assistance team, on condition that it limited its work to training seminars with judges and police and the preparation of a video on human rights promotion work.
The Commissioner said her office was committed "to strengthening the administration of justice" but has yet to convince the Mexican government to accept the appointment of a rapporteur for human rights in Mexico.
Mrs Robinson met President Ernesto Zedillo yesterday and travelled to the border town of Tijuana later in the day.
The Commissioner has praised the Mexican government's progress in signing up to human rights conventions but demanded greater commitment to implementing existing legislation, raising hackles among ruling party politicians. "[Government] reports do not always match reality" said Mrs Robinson, "nor does the government always comply with recommendations issued by UN commissions".
Senator Victor Hugo Islas, of the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, (PRI), came to the government's defence: "There are many ways in which we could tell that lady about the way human rights problems have been solved in our country, what we are not willing to accept is interference in matters that only concern Mexicans," he said. Other PRI officials described Mrs Robinson's comments as evidence that the commissioner was "out of touch with reality".
Mrs Robinson's office has adopted an increasingly critical position before Mexico, demanding an end to torture and legislation to outlaw racial discrimination. In August 1998, the UN working Group on Indigenous Populations, condemned Mexico, Turkey and Cyprus as the three countries which committed the most "severe rights violations", a position ratified at last August's session.
Mexico has consistently abstained from voting on UN resolutions over human rights abuses in East Timor, Kosovo, China and Cuba, a quid pro quo which has kept the spotlight away from alleged abuses at home.
Mrs Robinson had her first contact with the Mexican military, meeting the Attorney General for Military Justice, Gen. Rafael Macedo de la Concha, who described UN allegations of army abuses against civilians as "inexact".
The Inter-American Human Rights Court, whose jurisdiction is recognised by the Mexican government, has investigated dozens of allegations of army abuses. These include the torture and execution of suspected guerrillas in Guerrero and Chiapas, where the permanent presence of 60,000 army troops has profoundly altered community life.
In June 1994 this reporter was detained and interrogated for six hours by Mexican troops who pointed machine guns at him and forced him into a nearby barracks, despite the presentation of a valid press ID issued by Mexico's International Press Association, (ACEM).
The troops belonged to the army's Seventh Region based in Chiapas state, whose commander is due to meet Mrs Robinson tomorrow. While foreigners receive relatively benign treatment at army hands, the same cannot be said for the indigenous population living under a virtual state of siege.