Lawyers working on the case to bring Augusto Pinochet to trial in Spain have said they are quietly confident that the UK's House of Lords will see reason and allow the former military leader of Chile to be extradited.

They feel their case meets all the requirements of international law, but they are well aware that the situation is out of their hands.

One of the lawyers has said that if the British authorities do allow General Pinochet to fly home, no country should allow him to enter their air space.

Campaigners will gather in the centre of Madrid to hear the ruling of the House of Lords and irrespective of the decision, a rally is planned for later in the day, when candles will be lit in memory of those killed by the governments in South America.

Millions support Pinochet's victims

There have been few voices of opposition in Spain to the campaign to get Augusto Pinochet extradited from Britain.

Madrid is home to hundreds of people who fled the military governments which took control in Chile and Argentina in the 1970s. Some were victims of torture and others lost members of their family.

Their stories have been told in the Spanish media, attracting the support of millions of Spaniards.

They are also backed by energetic and sympathetic lawyers, as well as the campaigning judge who ordered the arrest of General Pinochet, Baltasar Garzon, known by many here as the "Superjudge".

The Spanish Government has tried to keep its distance from the issue, sensitive about its previously good relations with Chile.

It has said it would respect the decision of the courts, both those in Spain and in Britain, but it is widely accepted in Spain that it would not be sorry to see General Pinochet on a plane back to Chile.