Citation
WASHINGTON, April 22 (Reuter) - The White House called on warring
factions in Rwanda Friday to agree to an immediate ceasefire and said
the United States was prepared to take part in efforts to arrange a
political settlement of their dispute.
Its plea for an end to bitter internecine fighting that has killed
tens, perhaps hundreds, of thousands coincided with a meeting between
National Security Adviser Anthony Lake and Rwandan human rights monitor
Monique Mujawamarija.
Mujawamarija narrowly escaped with her life after mayhem between the
Hutu and Tutsi tribes spread through Kigali after the killing of
Rwanda's president April 6.
We call on the Rwandan army and the Rwandan Patriotic Front to agree
on an immediate ceasefire and return to negotiations called for and
facilitated by the government of Tanzania,
a White House statement
said.
It added that the United States is prepared to participate, as in the
past, in renewed negotiations in the context of the Arusha Agreement of
August 4, 1993.
That agreement called for a negotiated settlement and power-sharing
between the rival tribes.
The White House statement said Lake had expressed his deep satisfaction
that Mujawamarija had escaped harm, and that he was deeply concerned
about the continued violence in Rwanda.
All responsible officials and military officers must bring offending
troops and units under control immediately,
it said.
(c) Reuters Limited 1994
