By Kate Clark BBC Kabul correspondent

Afghanistan's interim leader, Hamid Karzai, says he would like to see a truth commission set up for the country to investigate past human rights atrocities.

He said he would like to see the commission heal the wounds of Afghans, or at least recognise that those wounds exist.

We must have a truth commission... to find out more about the atrocities committed and to address those people who have been violated

Afghan interim leader Hamid Karzai

"There have been too many atrocities in our country," he said, "and the victims should be listened to".

Mr Karzai was speaking at a conference in the Afghan capital, Kabul, aimed at setting up a human rights commission as stipulated in the Bonn peace accords.

The UN Human Rights Commissioner, Mary Robinson, was also there along with the UN special representative, Lakhdar Brahimi, and Afghan and international human rights activists.

Sensitive subject

Until now human rights had seemed to be slipping off the agenda in favour of political pragmatism.

Some of the worst culprits became allies of the US

The whole issue is a delicate one in Afghanistan.

Abuses did not start with the Taleban.

Some of the worst perpetrators became allies of the US in the war against the Taleban and al-Qaeda and are now back in power, either in Kabul or in the regions.

Trying to find peace after 23 years of war and ensure accountability from political leaders who still wield military power is a difficult to path to tread.

Accountability urged

The UN-sponsored peace process has chosen to work with the warlords.

The chief UN negotiator, Lakhdar Brahimi, said at the conference that the most urgent human rights imperative was peace.

But Mary Robinson said sustainable peace and reconstruction required accountability.

There could be no amnesty, she said, for perpetrators of war crimes.