Truth and Consequences.(Vicente Fox, Mexico)(Brief Article)

When Mexican President Vicente Fox came to power, he promised a thorough reckoning of his country's murky past. There are many mysteries to solve--from a 1968 student massacre to several high- profile murders in the early 1990s. But last week Fox reneged on his pledge to form a truth commission, announcing a plan much more limited in scope: the appointment of a special prosecutor to probe the disappearances of more than 500 leftist radicals three decades ago.

Fox was swayed by several members of his cabinet who argued that an open-ended dalliance into the past would worsen his relationship with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which is trying to shed the reputation for corruption and heavy-handedness it developed during its 71 years in power. Though Fox dethroned the PRI, the party continues to dominate Congress--and block his most important bills. While the PRI opposed a truth commission, party president Dulce Maria Sauri told NEWSWEEK she supports the creation of a special prosecutor. "The PRI as an institution does not have to answer any charge," she said. "The investigation will put the responsibility on people, and it will be these people who have to answer."

In taking on the disappearances, Fox will still be confronting a powerful interest: the 240,000-member military. Since the late 1920s, when the PRI was formed, the military has pledged loyalty to the president in exchange for autonomy in its own affairs. That old understanding is becoming untenable as the Army assumes a greater role in fighting drug traffickers and comes under increased scrutiny for human-rights violations.

During the 1970s and early 1980s, more than 500 leftists were plucked from their homes or the streets, often transported to military barracks and never seen again. For years their families have sought the truth. Pressure mounted on Fox over the summer to investigate the cases after Sergio Aguayo, a prominent professor, discovered records showing several of the disappeared had been in military custody. That led to further investigation by the National Human Rights Commission. Adding to the pressure on Fox was the international outcry over the October assassination of Digna Ochoa, a human-rights lawyer who specialized in cases involving the Army.

Fox had ...