(Panafrican News Agency (PANA),  Lome, Togo,  March 31, 2001)

The main Togolese opposition parties refused on Tuesday to sign an appeal for the European Union to resume aid to Togo, AFP reported. The appeal was proposed by the ruling Rassemblement du peuple Togolais (RPT) within the framework of a July 1999 agreement it signed with the opposition.

The paritary agreement was concluded in response to a political crisis which had developed in mid-1998 after the opposition contested the result of presidential election which it said was rigged. The accord, which includes several points, is said to contain a pledge by President Gnassingbe Eyadema to forego another run for the presidency at the end of his current term in 2003.