AUCKLAND. Nov 10: President Nelson Mandela thanked the Commonwealth today for helping to end the "long night" of apartheid as the group opened its first summit since South Africa returned to its ranks last year, reports Reuter.

Mandela took centre stage at the summit s opening session as tributes flowed to his own crusade to bring multiracial democracy to South Africa.

"We stand here today to extend the sincere thanks of the people of South Africa for the outstanding role this organisation ... played to end the long night's of colonial and apartheid domination in

our country." Mandela said

Looming large as the summit opened, however, were divisions between Britain and fellow-members on French nuclear testing, government over human rights.

Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien was the first leader publicly to raise the light of Nigerian minority rights activists Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others who have been sentenced to hang.

"We owe It to the world, to ourselves as an organisation, and above all to the people who love in difficult situations. to speak out in one voice in the face of flagrant violations of democratic principles and basic tenets of

Justice, he said.

"The death sentence of Ken Saro Wiwa is an example of the type of behaviour we all want to see abolished." Chretien added, to applause from some of the leaders.

On Thursday. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe urged a tough line on Nigeria and realised the possibility of suspending it from the 52-member Commonwealth if the hangings went ahead.

But Mandela and the leaders of Malaysia and New Zealand, among others, urged continued dialogue with the government of General Sani Abacha, represented at the summit by Foreign Minister Tom Ikimi.