Sarkozy Flies to Libya to Reap Rewards of Medics' Release

Nicolas Sarkozy followed his wife and flew to meet Muammar Gadafy yesterday after Libya freed six Bulgarian medics accused of infecting hundreds of children with the HIV virus and won the promise of a "new era" in relations with the EU.

The French president was promoting commercial and political ties as US and British companies seek to penetrate the Libyan market. The oil-rich north African state is shedding its old pariah status and opening up to the world.

"What we are going to talk about is wide-ranging cooperation, in all fields," said an Elysée Palace spokesman. "We can do a lot more and a lot better with Libya, and that is why the head of state is traveling there." Arms sales, banking privatization and civil nuclear technology are all areas of interest to Paris.

Colonel Gadafy was last night due to host a dinner for Mr Sarkozy at his Bab al-Aziziya compound, bombed by the US air force in retaliation for an alleged Libyan terrorist attack in 1986.

Mr Sarkozy ignored criticism that he and his wife Cecilia had been grandstanding by intervening at the end of the eight-year crisis when the hard work had been done by the European commission and other EU governments. Mrs Sarkozy joined in negotiations and then flew to Sofia with the freed medics.

There were signs of a backlash against the carefully-crafted deal when families of the 426 children infected with the virus in a Benghazi hospital voiced outrage at the pardon and release of the medics and called for them to be re-arrested by Interpol.

The five nurses and a Palestinian-born doctor were pardoned on arrival in Sofia on Tuesday by the Bulgarian president after being released under a prisoner exchange agreement between the two countries. It is also clear that the compensation paid to the families came from the Libyan government, not foreign donors.

EU governments made payments in kind - to improve conditions in Libyan hospitals or to treat the children. Bulgaria is likely to write off Libya's $54m (£26m) debt to it as a goodwill gesture.

The six were twice sentenced to death, though Libya commuted their sentences to life in prison after the families waived their right to demand their execution. The medics protested their innocence and said their confessions were extracted under torture.

Britain also sought to build on the momentum created by the release by sending foreign office minister Kim Howells to Tripoli to meet Libyan ministers and "advance our bilateral relationship".