MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile regrets Swiss decision regarding former terrorist

Chilean Minister of Interior Francisco Vidal regretted the Swiss government's decision to grant political refuge status to a former Chilean terrorist who in 1996 fled from a high security jail. However he said Chile will respect the decision.

"For the (Chilean) government this is regrettable, but it's a decision we must respect, it was made by another government and other institutions. The information I have is that the status granted means more than asylum and was extended by an independent political committee", said Minister Francisco Vidal.

The cabinet chief, who replaces President Ricardo Lagos when he travels overseas, said the Swiss decision represents a challenge since it's the second country that understands such a court case can't be accordingly followed in the Chilean judiciary branch.

Mr. Vidal was referring to Argentina's recent rejection of the extradition appeal of Sergio Galvarino Apablaza supposedly involved in the killing of a Chilean general and other top officials in the seventies, recently arrested by the Federal Police.

Former terrorist Patricio Ortiz Montenegro, member of a "Patriotic Front" involved in political killings during the dictatorial regime of General Pinochet and later during the first years of democracy, including the shooting of an elected Senator, confirmed in a television interview that a special committee from the Swiss Justice Ministry last June 29 extended him political asylum and a Swiss passport to travel all over the world with the exception of Chile.

Minister Vidal reacted saying that Chile will endeavour to achieve a fully recognized rule of the law status and judicial proceedings. He also anticipated Chile will continue with the Galvarino Apablaza case by appealing to the Argentine Supreme Court.

"The government assumes this as a main institutional consolidation task for the rule of the law and all the prestige Chile has in the world, to ensure that specific situations as these do not overshadow us", said Mr. Vidal.

Chilean Government House Osvaldo Puccio later revealed that Mr. Ortiz status is not that of political asylum but rather of refugee, which "has a greater migratory component, because the wife of this gentleman is Swiss".

He also anticipated that this "strange situation" will be addressed, as corresponds to the situation, through the "adequate diplomatic channels".

Ortiz Montenegro together with three other terrorists managed to escape in December 1996 rescued by a helicopter which landed in the main court yard of a high security prison in Santiago.

The four terrorists are accused of having killed conservative Senator Jaime Guzmán, Carabineros Colonel Luis Fontaine, kidnapping Cristian Edwards (from the family which owns a media conglomerate that includes daily El Mercurio) and a failed death attempt against former Air Force General Gustavo Leigh.