The general, who doctors declared fit to stand trial, made his appearance in a wheel chair. Asked by the magistrate to identify himself, he said through an interpreter: ``I am Augusto Pinochet Ugarte.'' And continued, ``I was Commander-In-Chief, Captain-General of Chile, President of the Republic and actually I am at the moment a senator of the republic.''

The magistrate, Graham Parkinson, read the charges against General Pinochet, and remanded him on bail. The bail conditions for General Pinochet have been slightly changed now allowing him to now walk in the gardens of the mansion he is renting on the exclusive Wentworth estate south-west of London. The magistrate said, ``It would be inhumane tostop the senator walking in the garden as and when necessary.''

The Magistrate was, unusually, asked to and allowed the general to make a short statement at the end of the proceeding. Speaking through the interpreter Pinochet said: ``With respect to your honour, I do not recognise the jurisdiction of any other court except in my own country to try me against the lies of Spain.'' His lawyer jumped up to explain that the General did not imply that he did not accept the jurisdiction of this court, but that in principle did not accept the right of a court outside Chile to try him as Spain is seeking to.

The court hearing instead of being conducted at the city centre Bow Street Magistrates court, where pickpockets, petty thieves and the likes of music director Nadeem are tried, was held at the court house attached to the high security Belmarsh prison. This court house is usually reserved for high risk cases involving IRA bombers and has seen trials of criminals like the well known East End Kraytwins.

Victims, families and supporters of Pinochet's regime took up one side of the road leading to the court house and Pinochet's supporters, shouting `viva Pinochet' the other. The two sides were kept 25 meters apart at their own request.

Spain wants Pinochet extradited to face charges of genocide, torture and terrorism relating to his 17-year dictatorship which ended in 1990. The Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon formally charged the former dictator yesterday, presented a 285-page indictment accusing him of `diabolical' crimes. He has asked assets around the world to be frozen.

Pinochet is set to appear in court again on January 18.