BRUSSELS, April 5 (Reuter) - Belgium, France and the European Union appealed jointly on Saturday for aid to be allowed to reach victims of the civil war in eastern Zaire. "We demand that the forces that control the area allow the immediate access of humanitarian organisations to the populations in distress, refugees and displaced persons," the three said in a statement. The statement, which was signed by Belgian development minister Reginald Moreels, French aid minister Xavier Emmanuelli and European Commissioner Emma Bonino, also called for an end to reported massacres and refugees be allowed to return home. Thousands of people risked dying of starvation or illness unless aid was allowed to reach them safely, they said.