Spanish state prosecutors yesterday formally opposed the extradition of Chile's Augusto Pinochet to Madrid, even as the Spanish government condemned his former military dictatorship as "repugnant".
Mr Eduardo Fungairino, chief prosecutor for Spain's High Court, filed a written appeal with the Spanish judge who successfully sought Gen Pinochet's arrest in London last week, contending that he had no right to seek the extradition. Mr Fungairino argued that Spanish courts had no jurisdiction to try Gen Pinochet for crimes alleged to have been committed by his military regime after it seized power in Chile in 1973.
Investigating Judge Baltasar Garzon has sent shock waves through the international community and plunged Chile into political crisis with his efforts to bring Pinochet to justice in Spain.
The Spanish government is still taking pains to distance itself from Gen Pinochet's iron-handed, 17-year rule. "The government . . . condemns and considers repugnant the historical chapter of Chile's dictatorship, as it also considers contemptible and repugnant other dictatorships that have existed and still exist," government spokesman Mr Josep Pique told reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting.
The European Commission President, Mr Jacques Santer, who was in Oviedo, northern Spain, yesterday, said he hoped Gen Pinochet would be extradited to Spain for trial. Mr Santer was being awarded the Prince of Asturias prize for social science.
Meanwhile in Santiago, Chile's President, Mr Eduardo Frei, condemned the local violence that has erupted over Gen Pinochet.
Aggressive acts "damage Chile and introduce a seed of violence", Mr Frei said in a televised address to the nation. "I condemn them with all my energy, and when necessary, we will apply all the weight of the law," he said.