London - Amnesty International criticised the handling of the Pinochet affair by Mr Jack Straw, but said the case represented the most important precedent for international justice since the Nuremberg trials.
The organisation said: "The fact that Augusto Pinochet was arrested - almost unthinkable just 17 months ago - has sent a powerful message: no one is above international law, even when national laws offer protection from prosecution.
"This achievement is not undermined by the irregular procedures followed by Jack Straw, which leave a question mark over Pinochet's fitness to stand trial."