the Commonwealth PARIS/KIGALI, Nov 29 (Reuters) - France and Rwanda have agreed to restore diplomatic relations, severed in 2006, on the same day the French-speaking Central African nation was admitted to the Commonwealth.

Kigali cut diplomatic ties with Paris in 2006 after a French judge accused Rwandan President Paul Kagame and several officials of involvement in the assassination of former president Juvenal Habyarimana which sparked genocide in 1994.

Claude Gueant, chief of staff at the French presidency, met Kagame on Sunday in Kigali where they agreed to resume ties, the Elysee palace said in a statement.

Speaking to reporters in the Rwandan capital, Gueant said the cabinet would meet to appoint a new French ambassador to Rwanda in the next two weeks.

"After Sarkozy's election, he wanted to turn the page on the past," Gueant said.

"Rwanda has a big role to play in this region in development and security and it is also an example of good governance in the whole of Africa. For this reason, France has decided to support Rwanda," he added.

French-speaking Rwanda was admitted to the Commonwealth group of mostly former British colonies, despite objections from human rights groups as to whether it met the required standards of political freedom and human rights.

Ties with Germany were also strained last year after Rwanda ejected the German ambassador following the arrest of a senior Rwandan official in Frankfurt.

Before independence in 1962, Rwanda was under German, then Belgian rule. As a Francophone country, it forged close ties with France during Francois Mitterand's presidency.

France has since been accused of supporting the Kigali government responsible for orchestrating the 1994 genocide of 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said the restoration of ties was the result of a "long and patient effort" by Paris and Kigali.

"These two countries, which bring together at once so many misunderstandings, common culture and shared hopes, will resume their march in solidarity," Kouchner said in a statement.

"The 1994 genocide will remain in our memories. France will forget none of its victims."

Rwanda's Foreign Minister Rosemary Museminali told reporters on Sunday the move was the start of a process of normalising relations.

"(This) is a culmination of the discussions we have had ... and we believe is the beginning of building newer, stronger and better relations than we've had," she said.

Rwanda has introduced English as the third official language, alongside French and the native Kinyarwanda tongue.