§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have any information about the reported expulsion or imprisonment of 11 priests and the closure of 40 churches in Chiapas province of Mexico; and whether they are discussing these matters and the apparent collapse of the Comision Nacional de Intermediacion (CONAI) as a mediating body with the Government of Mexico. [HL2440]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanThe Mexican Interior Ministry and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico have confirmed to our Embassy in Mexico City that there are no priests imprisoned in Mexico; and that only three, all foreign, have been expelled from the country. As of March 1998, there were 12 churches closed in Chiapas, mainly because of religious polarisation between Catholic and Protestant groups. None was closed by federal or state government order but by the authority of the churches themselves. Since102WA March, the Apostolic Nuncio has called on the Chiapan church to reopen churches for the benefit of local Catholics.
The National Mediation Commission (CONAI), established to mediate between the Mexican government and the Zapatista rebels (EZLN) in Chiapas, was dissolved on 7 June following the resignation of Bishop Ruiz as its President. We have not yet discussed this with the Mexican Government. CONAI had had no formal contact with the EZLN since August 1996. It is not yet clear what impact its dissolution will have on the Mexican Government's efforts to resume direct negotiations with the EZLN. The Congressional Commission on Chiapas (COCOPA) may have a bigger role to play in the future.