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Body of Argentina's Peron to be Disinterred

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The body of former Argentine President Juan Peron is to be dug up next week for the third time since his death in 1974.

Peron's body is being disinterred from his family plot in central Buenos Aires for DNA testing, to check the story of a woman who says she is his daughter. The body will then be buried in a new crypt at Peron's former retreat on the city's outskirts.

Peron's body was first buried in Argentina's presidential palace, but in a military coup two years after his death, the body was moved to a family crypt. It was later disinterred in 1980 by vandals who cut off his hands.

Some Argentines object to the move, saying Peron's body should remain downtown, where it is easy to pay respects. Others say his body has been disturbed enough already.

Members of the Peron family have said they hope eventually to bring the body of Peron's popular wife Eva to join his in the crypt. Evita, as she was widely known, died of cancer in 1952.

The remains of Argentina's most famous "power couple" were separated after they were removed from the presidential palace. Evita's body was buried in her own family plot, where it remains. The family has so far refused to allow it to be moved to the new mausoleum at Peron's former home.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

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