An agreement has been reached that may free the Bulgarian nurses
sentenced to death in Libya for infecting 426 Libyan children with
AIDS, news reaching Tunis from Tripoli said on Tuesday.
The agreement, which was signed between the Gaddafi Foundation
charity and the families of the infected children, would finally
resolve the case, the foundation said in a statement.
"This accord satisfies all the parties and puts an end to the
crisis," the statement said, adding that details would be announced
later.
The Gaddafi Foundation, which is run by a son of Libyan leader
Muammar Gaddafi, has been working to find a solution to nurse's
future, which has concerned Bulgaria and its allies the European
Union and United States.
The five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor were
sentenced to death by Libya's Supreme Court in December 2005 after
being convicted of infecting 426 Libyan children with the deadly
virus while they worked at a hospital in the city of Benghazi in
the 1990s.
Bulgaria's EU allies and Washington have been trying to secure
the release of the nurses and the case has blocked Libya's efforts
to deepen its links with the west.
Reports said behind the scenes talks have been taking place
between the European Union and the families of the children.
The families have asked for about US$13.3 million for each
child, a sum of money the EU refused to pay.
(Xinhua News Agency July 11, 2007)
