Friday, April 23, 1999 Published at 21:51 GMT 22:51 UK
Chile seeks arbitration on Pinochet case
Chilean supporters of General Pinochet are demanding his release
The Chilean government is to call on the International Court of Justice in The Hague to rule on whether Chile or Spain is competent to try the former military ruler, General Augusto Pinochet, on torture charges.
"We will ask the governments of Spain and Great Britain to begin an arbitration process with respect to Spain's jurisdiction under the guidelines of the international convention on torture," Mr Insulza told reporters.
General Pinochet has been held in the UK since last October following his arrest at the request of Spanish prosecutors who allege he is responsible for more than 3,000 deaths and disappearances during his rule between 1973 and 1990.
The Chilean government has repeatedly insisted that only Chile has the right to General Pinochet for crimes committed in that country.
On Sunday the 83-year-old former military leader told the UK's Sunday Telegraph newspaper that he would "fight against this extradition with every ounce of my strength.
The interview followed the decision by UK Home Secretary Jack Straw, allowing extradition proceedings brought by Spain against General Pinochet to go ahead for crimes allegedly committed after the UK signed the Convention Against Torture.
In March, the UK's highest court, the House of Lords ruled he could only face extradition proceedings on charges of torture carried out after 1988 when Britain incorporated the convention into law 1988.