MEXICO CITY (AP) -- After a weekend in which both the Zapatista
                  rebels and the government bragged about their successes in the 5-year-old
                  conflict in Chiapas state, disputes between the two sides seemed no closer
                  to being resolved.

                  The Zapatistas declared victory in an informal nonbinding referendum they
                  had organized Sunday, claiming that at least 95 percent of an estimated 2.5
                  million people voting supported their position on Indian rights.

                  But the government mostly ignored the vote, noting that the wording of the
                  questions -- one asked whether Indians should be included in the national
                  agenda -- made it unlikely anyone would vote "no."

                  On Saturday, President Ernesto Zedillo lauded his government's efforts to
                  improve education in the poor southern state and urged Congress to
                  consider constitutional amendments he proposed last year to boost Indian
                  rights.

                  But he failed to address criticism by the Zapatistas and their supporters that
                  his proposals fail to meet the government's commitments under a partial
                  peace accord signed in 1996, in which the government agreed to give
                  Indians greater autonomy. The peace process has collapsed over the
                  dispute.

                  The Zapatistas, who staged a brief uprising in January 1994 in the name of
                  Indian rights, don't pose a serious military threat. But the conflict has been a
                  festering sore for the government.

                  Mexico has frequently received international criticism for its handling of the
                  Chiapas conflict. Clashes between Zapatista supporters and backers of the
                  government have been common, including a December 1997 massacre of
                  45 Indian villagers by pro-government gunmen.

                  With about one-third of the polling places reporting, between 2 percent and
                  3 percent of voters gave "no" answers, said the man in charge of the
                  tabulation, Enrique Calderon, surrounded by ski-masked rebel
                  representatives, academics and literati at a news conference early Monday.

                  "There were people who had contrary opinions, and those will be taken into
                  account," he said.

                  There was no formal voter registration so it was impossible to calculate the
                  percentage of voter turnout.

                  Meanwhile, the government threatened to expel 10 foreigners _ most of
                  them American -- who an immigration official said were caught voting in
                  Chiapas state. The U.S. Embassy said it was trying to contact the
                  Americans.

                  Two of the Americans, university students Paul Lebins and Erica England of
                  Washington state, denied Monday that they had voted in the referendum and
                  said they had only followed a demonstration march out of curiosity.

                  "We took some photos to have when we return to Washington. We didn't
                  shout," Lebins said in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas.

                  England said they had been curious about the national referendum "because
                  in our university we hear things about Chiapas and the Zapatistas. We only
                  wanted to know more about what happens in this city."

                  The government has expelled dozens of foreign activists in the past year,
                  claiming their political activities violated their tourist visas.

                    Copyright 1999 The Associated Press.