France welcomes 'Blond Angel' arrest

France has sentenced Astiz, in absentia, to life in jail

PARIS, France -- France is to seek the extradition from Argentina of Alfredo Astiz, a navy officer from the 1976-83 military dictatorship dubbed the "Blond Angel."

Astiz has been arrested in Argentina at the request of Sweden, which wants to try him for the death of a Swedish girl in 1977.

France sentenced Astiz, in absentia, to life in jail in 1990 for killing two nuns. He is also wanted by Italy and Spain.

Astiz was a member of a death squad operating out of the Navy School for Mechanics, a camp in Buenos Aires where many of the 30,000 people who died or disappeared in the "Dirty War" against leftists died.

A French request for Astiz's extradition was rejected by France in August this year.

A spokesman for French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine said on Friday: "France is not giving up striving for the fulfilment of this.

"The new Argentine government has shown itself eager to come up to expectations in matters of international judicial cooperation. We are delighted."

Argentina has previously argued that its own courts had tried and sentenced the men who organised the repression in 1985.

But some officers like Astiz were freed or pardoned by a series of amnesty laws by elected presidents from 1986-90.