Dario Paya, Chilean MP: It's a monumental work. It's basically taking a country that was divided in its soul, and basically a destroyed country.

Look, it might sound too big a comparison but if you ask me I can only compare what happened in Chile with what happened in Germany and Japan in the sense that countries that were absolutely collapsed were militarily occupied by regimes which imposed economic systems based on freedom and new political institutions and through a period of transition arrived at full democracy.

I don't think it's a coincidence that people refer to the Chilean miracle. This country was taken from the ashes, to a successful economy, a working democracy, working institutions, a very decent and fast moving country.

And that is the result of the government of Pinochet.

Does any of that justify a single human rights violation? No, it does not.

But that needs to be overviewed by Chilean courts - as they're doing now, not foreign courts.

Q: What effect will it have on Chile's relations with Britain?

Paya: In British hands now lies the responsibility to put an end to a process that's put at jeopardy the Chilean transition to democracy.

We'll be watching very carefully whether Mr Blair has the guts to take a responsible decision. And whether he has any respect for what is Chile's interest in the matter.