Applications :: IWork 09 Compared To Microsoft Office Compared To AbiWord

I'm getting my first Mac tomorrow, an iMac 24" 2.8. After 20 years on PCs, I'm fed up with Windows. I've been fairly methodical in going over the PC, inch by inch and file by file, to make sure everything I need is brought over and can be used on the iMac. One of the biggest problems is 15 years of documents which were prepared in WordPerfect. I understand that neither iWork or MS Office can convert them. I also heard of AbiWord, a freeware program which can view and convert almost anything. So, I have a few choices. Since I'm going through each doc to see if I even need it or want it, I can convert each one in WordPerfect after I make the decision, to an MS Doc file (MS WORD 2003, RTF, ANSI, ASCII, or other files. If I do that, will iWork be able to read the file? What would be the best format to convert it too?

Or, I can decide what to keep and bring it over in WordPerfect format. When and if I need it, I can use AbiWord to convert at that time. Of course, this means adding an application to my computer. Does iWork/Pages emulate MS Word in the ability to read and convert other formats? What is the native format for saving in iWork? Is it a .DOC file? Any suggestions for the best method for me to transfer the files to the new computer and eventually use them? Does any program Batch process the conversions? BTW: I already purchased iWork, because of my belief that its 100% compatible with MS Office, and because it appears that any type of document I want to produce can be accomplished in iWork.