The BBC's David Loyn: Reports of a deal are denied by the British government

"I think the government is going to do even more to make sure that the investigation goes forward, but of course you can never say 'We assure you he is going to jail'," Jose Miguel Insulza told the BBC's Breakfast With Frost.

Mr Insulza added: ''In Spain, Britain and elsewhere you will only get symbolic justice because you will never be able to find out and investigate what really happened in Chile.

''The only real chance to have some kind of justice and some kind of truth is in Chile where the events happened.''

Jose Miguel Insulza told the BBC on Saturday that he fully expected that 14 lawsuits filed in Chile against the general this year to result in justice.

But his assertions have been greeted with scepticism in Chile.

Mr Insulza: Wants Pinochet released

Mr Insulza is hoping to persuade the UK Government to release the general, who is detained in London pending an extradition request by Spanish authorities.

Home Secretary Jack Straw is now deciding whether the extradition should proceed, after a ruling by the UK's Law Lords that General Pinochet did not qualify for immunity from arrest.

Jose Miguel Insulza interviewed on the BBC's "Breakfast with Frost"

Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon's request for the general's extradition implicates him in 3,178 murders or "disappearances".

Mr Insulza, who spent more than 14 years in exile during General Pinochet's regime, said he did not doubt there had been torture and executions during the dictatorship.

But he said Chile had to be allowed to decide how to deal with its past and proceed with its own investigations already underway.

He said Augusto Pinochet's alleged victims believed the Chilean judge investigating the former dictator was doing a thorough job.

"They have been very supportive of him and said that he's really conducting a very serious investigation."

Pinochet 'unlikely to face trial'

Anti-UK feelings run high among the general's supporters

General Pinochet will appear at Bow Street Magistrates Court in London on 11 December when government lawyers will reveal if Mr Straw has granted an "Authority to Proceed" with extradition.

But supporters and opponents of the general back home say it is highly unlikely the former military leader will ever face trial in Chile.

An amnesty law passed by General Pinochet in 1978 has so far prevented members of the military government from being convicted for human rights abuses.

Several unsuccessful attempts have been made to abolish this law since he stepped down in 1990.

Lawyer Jose Salakaet : A prosecution in Chile is possible but unlikely

Human rights groups say there is a small chance the amnesty law may be reinterpreted to allow prosecution for specific crimes such as torture - and have filed lawsuits against the general.

The judge in charge of these lawsuits, Juan Guzman, says he plans to interrogate General Pinochet and does not rule out one day putting him on trial.

But even if this were to happen, General Pinochet would have the option of being tried by a military court.