Madrid OKs Request to Extradite Pinochet

Spain announced that it will allow prosecutors to seek former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet’s extradition from Britain. Chile immediately protested the move by recalling its ambassador from Spain. The approval in Madrid by the Spanish Cabinet leaves Pinochet’s legal fate in the hands of Britain, where the former general was arrested on a Spanish warrant Oct. 16. The English High Court ruled that Pinochet’s arrest was illegal because he is entitled to immunity as a former head of state. A five-judge panel from Britain’s House of Lords is hearing an appeal. In Santiago, the Chilean capital, Foreign Minister Jose Miguel Insulza said Chile’s ambassador to Spain, Sergio Pizarro, will be withdrawn immediately. Pinochet is accused of genocide, terrorism and torture.