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DAR ES SALAAM, June 19 (AFP) - Tanzania's President Ali Hassan Mwinyi has invited his counterparts in neighbouring countries to attend the signing of a peace agreement between the Rwandan government and its rebel foes on June 24, officials said here Saturday.
The signing of the peace pact between the Rwandan government and rebel Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) is expected to mark the end of 11 months of Tanzanian-mediated peace negotiations to end the civil war in Rwanda.
The signing ceremony will be held in the northern Tanzanian town of Arusha where the talks were conducted.
Mwinyi has sent invitations to Presidents Daniel arap Moi of Kenya, Melchior Ndadaye of Burundi, Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, according to Ami Mpungwe, director for African affairs in Tanzania's foreign ministry.
Also invited are the current chairman of the Oragnisation of African Unity (OAU) Senegalese President Abdou Diouf, OAU Secretary-general Salim Ahmed Salim, U.N. Secretary-general Boutros Boutros-Ghali and representatives from the U.S. Belgium, Germany and France.
Mpungwe said the Rwandan government and RPF had reached consensus on all outstanding issues but were still locked in a dispute over the number of soldiers each side would contribute to a proposed 13,000-strong joint army.
Last week, the two parties reached an agreement on the repatriation of refugees and resettlement of displaced people.
They have also signed protocol agreements on the rule of law, formation of a government of national unity and integration of RPF forces into the national army.
It has been proposed that incumbent Prime Minister Dismas Nsengeremye be interim premier during the transitional period.
The northern Rwandan town of Byumba would serve as the capital during the transitional period.
Mpungwe said the transition process would be supervised by a neutral international force under the auspices of the United Nations. The U.N. force will replace the OAU military observer group that has overseen a ceasefire since last August.
hb/jnm/bm AFP AFP
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