Havana, Sep 29 (AIN) The influential Spanish daily El Pais echoed the outrage of Venezuela and Cuba over the decision by a US judge not to allow the extradition of self-confessed terrorist Luis Posada Carriles to Venezuela, where he is wanted for crimes committed.

El Pais, wrote Prensa Latina news agency, said the decision by Judge William Lee Abbott was considered as derisory by the Cuban and Venezuelan governments, which denounced Washington's double standards in its so-called war against terrorism.

The Spanish daily explains that Posada is accused among other terrorist acts, of organizing the 1976 midair bombing of a Cubana flight in which all 73 people died. It notes that Posada escaped from jail in Venezuela in 1985, while awaiting sentence for the blowing up of the Cuban plane.

Reporting on the Cuban statements, El Pais says that the decision of the judge does not discount sending the criminal to another country, which would allow Washington to get rid of an unwanted guest, now that the White House has declared itself the champion of the war against terrorism.

This is outrageous because the judge based his decision only on some State Department reports and on the allegation by the defense attorney that he will likely be tortured if returned to Venezuela.

Posada Carriles, the mastermind behind several criminal actions, has given extensive training in arms and explosives to the mercenaries that carried out terrorist acts against several Havana hotels resulting in the death of an Italian tourist.

One of his last activities was the assassination attempt in 2000 against the Cuban president at the University of Panama. That sordid plan involved the use of powerful explosives which would have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people.