Around the World

IRA halts talks of disarmament

LONDON - Northern Ireland plunged deeper into political crisis yesterday when the Irish Republican Army pulled out of disarmament talks in a reprisal for Britain's suspension of the power-sharing government in the province last week.

The IRA said in a statement issued from Belfast that it had broken off all contact with the international commission overseeing disarmament and had withdrawn all offers it had put on the table since November, when the guerrillas appointed a representative to meet with the head of the commission, Canadian Gen. John de Chastelain.

The group accused Britain and pro-British unionists in Northern Ireland of seeking "a military victory" over republicans who support a united Ireland. While vowing that such a victory is impossible, it didn't threaten to break its long-standing cease-fire.

"Both the British government and the leadership of the Ulster Unionist Party have rejected the propositions put to the (disarmament commission) by our representative," the statement read. "They obviously have no desire to deal with the issue of arms except on their own terms.

"Those who have made the political process conditional on the decommissioning of silenced IRA guns are responsible for the current crisis in the peace process."

Court orders release of Pinochet's records

LONDON - London's High Court ruled today that the British government has to disclose the medical records of Augusto Pinochet to the four European countries seeking to prosecute the former president of Chile.

The decision sets the stage for further court proceedings, meaning that Pinochet probably won't be sent home to Chile for a few more weeks, or even months. The 84-year-old ex-general is under house arrest in a London suburb.

The three-judge panel said prosecutors in Spain, Belgium, France and Switzerland could review the medical report until next Tuesday. Then they are expected to report their conclusions to Home Secretary Jack Straw. After that, Straw will issue a final decision on whether Pinochet can go home.

Pinochet has been held in Britain for 16 months pending extradition to Spain on charges of torture and conspiracy to torture his political adversaries during the 17 years he ruled Chile as the head of a military junta. But last month, Straw said he is "minded" to end the extradition proceeding and let Pinochet go home. Straw said a medical examination had demonstrated that Pinochet is too sick to stand trial.

At that point, Belgium went to court here arguing that its effort to try Pinochet would effectively end if the general were sent home. Belgium argued that it should have the right to review the medical records on which Straw relied. Straw said the Chilean's personal medical records should remain private.

Yesterday, the High Court sided with Belgium.

Will the ruling make a difference? It's unlikely that the four petitioning countries could find doctors who will disagree with the physicians who unanimously concluded last month that Pinochet is ill. And the three-judge panel yesterday warned the challenging states that they should "not lightly dissent" from Straw's conclusion.

But the ruling means there will probably be at least one more round of court hearings, and possible appeals after that. This could add months to Pinochet's stay in Britain.