"Let's not forget they didn't all share equal responsibility in the crimes that were committed," the Chilean Bishops' Conference said in a proposal presented to President Sebastian Pinera.

"In our view, a general pardon is as much out of the question as a blanket refusal to pardon any former member of the armed forces convicted" of human rights abuses under the dictatorship, they added.

"Proper reflection must distinguish between... the level of responsibility each one had, the level of freedom they worked under, the humanitarian gestures they made and the repentance they have shown for their crimes," the bishops said in their statement.

"We believe there is room for clemency under the rule of law," they added.

Government Secretary General Ena Von Baer said Pinera would look into the matter.

"The president will reflect on this document and will make a decision based on his commitment to truth, justice, national unity, public safety and humanitarian considerations," she said after the president and the bishops met.

Outside the presidential palace, hundreds of people brandishing photographs of dead or missing relatives from the time of the dictatorship expressed anger at the bishops' clemency request.

"We've heard monsignor (Alejandro) Goic (Bishops' Conference President) say that nobody would be left out of this proposal. That means it includes human rights abusers, and that's unacceptable," Relatives of Missing Detainees Association president Lorena Pizarro told reporters.

The Church, she added, "is turning its back on the victims (of the dictatorship). When you speak of mercy you have to see both sides of the coin: there are many older ladies here who are still waiting to know what happened to their loved ones."

Pinochet's military regime has been blamed for 3,000 dead or missing people during its 17-year rule. More than 500 military from that time are being prosecuted for those crimes.

earlier related report
Soldiers to help police fight Guatemala bus killings
Guatemala City (AFP) July 21, 2010 - Guatemalan soldiers will deploy in the capital to help police clamp down on armed attacks on public buses, which have left 18 dead in less than two weeks, the interior ministry said on Wednesday.

Combined police-military forces will guard bus stops and patrol in dangerous areas in and around the capital, Guatemala City, said Interior Minister Carlos Menocal in a statement.

Some 1,800 buses on 43 routes servicing some 1.5 million people were concerned, the statement said.

Guatemala has one of the highest crime rates in Latin America, with an average of 18 murders daily.

Under agreements made after the 1960-1996 civil war, the army is responsible for guarding sovereignty and borders but not public security.

Rising violence, which has led to a higher annual death toll than during the war, has provoked politicians in recent years to consider the army for public security, despite protests from rights groups.

Soldiers are not permitted to detain suspects and have to deploy in police vehicles.

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