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ADDIS ABABA, April 14 (AFP) - The Organisation of African Unity (OAU) on Thursday called for an immediate end to the "senseless violence" in Rwanda to enable relief and medical assistance to reach the wounded and refugees displaced by the ethnic bloodshed.
In a statement, issued after a meeting of its Central Organ Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution, the OAU urged the international community to provide increased resources to cater for the urgent humanitarian needs of the Rwandan people.
It also called for an immediate start to negotiations between government forces and Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) rebels, scheduled for Thursday, which would "lead to the establishment, without delay, of transitional institutions as provided for under the Arusha peace agreement" of August last year.
The OAU reaffirmed that the Arusha accord remained the only viable framework for the resolution of the Rwandan conflict and served as the basis for peace, national unity and reconciliation in the country.
It appealed for continued involvement of the United Nations, including the UN Assistance Mission in Rwanda (UNAMIR) as an essential element in the restoration of peace in the country and the implementation of the Arusha peace agreement.
"We are conscious of the security and humanitarian implications of events in Rwanda for the sub-region", the statement said, appealing to the UN Security Council representatives in the region and Tanzanian President Ali Hassan Mwinyi to persevere and intensify their ongoing efforts to bring peace to Rwanda and neighbouring Burundi.
Sym/lto/ap
