PERU'S bishops have appealed for calm in the southern cities of Arequipa and Tacna following days of bloody unrest.
Two people died and hundreds were wounded in protest marches against the privatisation of two stateowned electricity companies. In response, the government has suspended the sale of the Egasa and Egesur electrical enterprises to the Belgian firm Tractebel.
In a statement the bishops said: "With the Holy Father, John Paul II, we say to you: we must all make efforts to pacify spirits, moderate tensions, overcome divisions and heal wounds that might have opened between brothers."