The Spanish government has sent a request to Britain for new medical tests on Chile's former military ruler, General Augusto Pinochet.

A foreign ministry statement in Madrid said it had forwarded the legal arguments of Baltasar Garzon, the judge seeking General Pinochet's extradition, who wants doctors of his choosing to examine the general.

Last week, the British Home Secretary, Jack Straw, said that General Pinochet was too ill to stand trial in Spain on torture charges.

Mr Straw based his decision on a report which has not been made public, by a team of British doctors.

Interested parties, including human rights groups, have until Tuesday to respond before Mr Straw makes a final ruling. The Spanish government has reaffirmed that it will not appeal against the outcome.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service