WASHINGTON (AP) - President John Kufuor of Ghana brushes aside suggestions that his 5-month-old elected government may in peril from opposition led by a former president who has staged coups twice before and has publicly warned of a new revolt.
Kufuor, who is in the United States to attend a United Nations conference on AIDS and to confer with President Bush, described purported threats against his government as ``a passing phase, a very fast passing phase.''
In an interview Friday with The Associated Press, Kufuor said Jerry Rawlings, a charismatic former Air Force pilot who dominated Ghanian politics for more than 20 years, may be finding it ``a bit difficult'' to adjust ``to the reality of a new president.''
``I'm sure sooner than later he'll adjust,'' Kufuor said.
Kufuor, a British-trained lawyer and longtime opposition leader, assumed the presidency of the Oregon-sized West African nation last January, two weeks before Bush took office.
His bid to defeat Rawlings' choice as the successor president was aided by a collapsing economy which, he acknowledged, has been devastated by falling prices of gold and cocoa, Ghana's principal exports, and by rapidly rising prices of oil.
Kufuor wants to establish a national reconciliation commission to deal with abuses suffered by Ghanians under previous governments.
He made clear during the interview that the commission should focus on the Rawlings era.
``Over the past 20 years, many people suffered injustice, invasions and killings of relatives without due process of the law,'' he said. He said estimates of politically motivated killings number in the hundreds.
``Properties were confiscated, businesses were confiscated without due process of the law,'' he said.
Kufuor said the establishment of a commission will serve as a ``safety valve'' for the many Ghanians who have ``pent-up feelings'' about the injustices of the past.
``It's far better this way than to keep feelings bottled up,'' he said, adding that officials of former governments need not fear prosecution if they expose excesses in testimony before the commission.
Rawlings oversaw the transition in Ghana to democracy after a period of heavy-handed rule during his early years in office.
His supporters were angered when Parliament recently did away with the annual June 4 holiday commemorating the 1979 military uprising that first put Rawlings in charge.
A month ago, Rawlings marked the anniversary with a speech lashing out at Kufuor. He spoke of discontent within the military and cautioned the government to change its ways to avoid a new revolt. Military leaders quickly denied any discontent in the ranks.
Days after the speech, 10 police vehicles and agents of the Bureau of National Investigations turned up at Rawlings' home. They staked out the home for a brief period before departing. The Rawlings' camp suggested the move was in response to the former president's speech.
On Thursday after Kufuor and the presidents of Mali and Senegal met with Bush, the White House issued a statement in support of African countries where democracy has taken hold. Officials said the statement was intended partially as a show of support for Ghanian democracy.
``The United States opposes any action that undermines legitimate, democratic rule, including coups and other direct power grabs, as well as constitutional changes orchestrated solely to promote an incumbent's hold on power or impede an opponent,'' the statement said.
