The arrest in London of Gen Pinochet, dictator of Chile from 1973 to 1990, on foot of a Spanish warrant for crimes of genocide, international terrorism and torture, has caught international public opinion by surprise. It has been welcomed by human rights groups, for whom Gen Pinochet is a living symbol of the grim era of "disappearances", torture and death squads which characterised military rule in Latin America in the 1970s and 1980s. Predictably, it has been condemned by the current democratic prime minister of Chile, Mr Eduardo Frei, as an illegal interference in the internal affairs of his country. Mr Frei has shown his displeasure by cancelling a visit to Madrid.
At first sight, the arrest represents a remarkable expression of the "ethical dimension" to foreign policy promised by the British Foreign Secretary, Mr Robin Cook. The robust defence of the arrest by some of Mr Blair's other ministers, such as Mr Peter Mandelson, suggests that it has support at the highest level in New Labour. It certainly is a radical reversal of the attitude of previous Tory administrations, which had no compunction extending hospitality to tyrants, as long as they protected British economic interests abroad.
On the basis of last night's statement from the White House it seems clear that the arrest has the approval of the Clinton administration. This, again, is an about-turn. Papers recently released have established that the Nixon administration was an active backer of Gen Pinochet's bloody coup, which suppressed Chilean democracy for 17 years. But this is not, primarily, a matter for Britain or the US. The arrest is simply one more step, albeit a significant one, in a complex legal process initiated by two intrepid Spanish judges. Their ultimate aim is to establish an international legal basis for the prosecution of crimes against humanity, sadly something as necessary today as it was when Gen Pinochet's troops herded democrats into Santiago stadium 25 years ago.
The Spanish judges face many obstacles in taking the case against Gen Pinochet any further. The Spanish attorney general has declared his opposition to the investigation, and the Spanish conservative prime minister, Mr Jose Maria Aznar, will find the whole affair a major embarrassment, at the least. Spain has close economic ties with Chile and Mr Aznar is a friend of Mr Frei's Christian Democrats. More than a few figures in Mr Aznar's own party would have considered themselves friends of Gen Pinochet, as they were previously friends of the Spanish dictator, Gen Franco.
The issue of Chilean stability also has to be considered. If Gen Pinochet becomes a martyr to the Chilean right, will the fragile democracy established there over the last few years survive? None of these considerations, however, should obscure what is fundamental: there should be no hiding place for terrorists, whether they wear uniforms, suits, or balaclavas.