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Spain to Exhume Dictator Franco's Remains to Discreet Grave

Associated Press

   MADRID - Spain's Socialist government says it will exhume and relocate
   the remains of dictator Gen. Francisco Franco on Thursday, bringing
   closer to an end a move that has sparked much criticism and legal
   battles.

   In a statement Monday, the government said the remains would be taken
   from the grandiose mausoleum at the Valley of the Fallen complex
   outside Madrid and moved to a cemetery close to the capital where the
   Franco family has a crypt.

   The government plans to transport the remains over the 35-kilometer
   (21-mile) distance by helicopter. It said it will begin the exhumation
   operation at 10:30 a.m. (0830 GMT) Thursday.
   The statement said the operation will be a private affair, with only
   Franco's relatives and some government officials allowed to attend. The
   media will be able to witness it from outside.

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