ACCRA, May 7 (AFP) - Ghana's President John Kufour has inaugurated a South African-style reconciliation commission set up to look into rights abuses under former president Jerry Rawlings, and urged its panel not to seek vengeance. Speaking at Monday's inauguration for the nine-member National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) Kufuor said rights abuses committed by the Armed Froces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) had led to a bitterness among Ghanaians that needed to be assuaged. Rawlings first seized power in June 1979 and in September of the same year handed power to an elected civilian government. He staged a second coup on December 31, 1981. He led Ghana at the head of the AFRC and PNDC respectively after both those coups. The two military regimes are accused of having tortured, tried and executed their opponents. Rawlings' supporters have accused Kufuor's government of launching a witchhunt against officials from the previous administration. The NRC has one year to conduct its enquiries and compile its report. That period can be extended for six months. Kufuor said the government is determined to build a new nation based on rule of law and respect for human rights. The chairman of the commission, Justice Amua-Sekyi said "no one can deny that as a nation we have made mistakes in the past. However, it takes courage to admit this." In a goodwill message to the Commission, South Africa's Desmond Tutu, praised Ghana for its refusal to take the "easy road and grapple with the past in order to create a better future." This, he said, "demonstrates the courage and insight of Ghanaians in recognising that the past will come back to haunt them if they do not address it." South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which closed its doors at the end of last year after six years of work, was empowered to grant amnesties to those on both sides of that country's liberation struggle whose acts, including murder, were clearly political, and who demonstrated repentance after making a full confession. Tutu said it would have been tempting for a country like Ghana to sweep old issues under the carpet, embrace its prosperity and move on. But Tutu added: "The record shall stand not only as a warning not to repeat the abuses of the past but also as an encouragement to show that evil can be overcome and good will prevail." He said to some of those who have been guilty of violations, the Commission will offer the chance to admit their guilt and seek reconcilation with their compatriots. "By inaugurating its commission today Ghana reaffirms its commitment to international law and reinforces in leadership in international affairs. This should come as no surprise in a country which has produced the Secretary Generals of both United Nations and Ecowas," Tutu said. Mohamed Ibn Chambas was in February named head of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and Kofi Annan has been head of the United Nations since 1997. He then likened reconciliation to one of Ghana's key export crops, cocoa. "What makes cocoa so compelling is its intriguing bitter-sweet flavour and its contribution to Ghana's prosperity. "As with cocoa so too with reconciliation: the process of unearthing a legacy of abuse and discovering the fate of victims is always bitter-sweet," Tutu said. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~