The Bulgarian government agreed yesterday to forgive US$56.6
million in Soviet-era debt owed by Libya and said the money would
instead be paid into an international fund to help Libyan HIV/AIDS
victims.
The announcement follows the release by Libya last week of six
medics - five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor - convicted
of infecting Libyan children with HIV in the 1990s.
After more than eight years in jail, Libya returned the medics
to Bulgaria in a deal which included medical help, political ties
between the European Union and Tripoli, and compensation for the
families of the victims.
The medics, who had been sentenced to death, have maintained
their innocence and said they were tortured into confessing.
The Bulgarian government said in a statement the debt,
accumulated for arms and technical deliveries, would instead be
paid into an international fund set up to help the families of more
than 400 HIV victims.
"With these funds Bulgaria will help the Libyan government
continue to modernize its medical infrastructure, the treatment of
the AIDS-infected children and paying financial aid to the
families," the statement said.
It said 27 donors, including 17 governments, nine private
companies and one non-governmental organization, had also pledged
to contribute to the fund.
Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin said the US$56.6
million was Bulgaria's estimate of the debt - US$20 million plus
more than US$36 million in interest.
"This debt has not been served for over 18 years and there is no
clear agreement on its exact amount. So this is our understanding
of the amount of the debt," Kalfin said.
"I hope that in additional talks between Libya and the
international fund they will come to this number for the amount of
the debt."
Libya arrested the medical workers in 1999 and charged them with
deliberately infecting more than 400 children with the virus that
causes AIDS.
Last month, Libya commuted the death sentences to life in prison
after the 460 HIV victims' families were paid US$1 million each in
settlement financed by the international fund.
That opened the way for the medics' release. The Balkan
country's president Georgi Parvanov pardoned the six upon their
arrival in Sofia last week.
(China Daily via agencies August 3, 2007)
