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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Sarkozy to boost EU-Libya links | Sarkozy to boost EU-Libya links |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| French President Nicolas Sarkozy is travelling to Tripoli to meet Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, a day after the release of six foreign medics. | French President Nicolas Sarkozy is travelling to Tripoli to meet Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, a day after the release of six foreign medics. |
| The meeting is being seen as a sign of the normalisation of ties between Libya and the EU following the release. | The meeting is being seen as a sign of the normalisation of ties between Libya and the EU following the release. |
| The foreign workers were held for eight years for infecting children with HIV. | |
| The five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian-born doctor, who served eight years of their life sentences, always maintained they were innocent. | The five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian-born doctor, who served eight years of their life sentences, always maintained they were innocent. |
| All six were pardoned on their arrival in Sofia by Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov. | All six were pardoned on their arrival in Sofia by Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov. |
| Immigration support | Immigration support |
| Europe and the US had made it clear to Libya that resolving their situation was the key to improving ties. | Europe and the US had made it clear to Libya that resolving their situation was the key to improving ties. |
| Mr Sarkozy wants to further Libyan help in the fight against terrorism, says the BBC's Emma Jane Kirby in Paris. | Mr Sarkozy wants to further Libyan help in the fight against terrorism, says the BBC's Emma Jane Kirby in Paris. |
| HAVE YOUR SAY Gaddafi has used these poor innocent medics as bargaining chips to get something out of the EU... And he succeeded. Marc Saurel, Montreal, Canada Have your say: Libya medics Profiles: The medics | HAVE YOUR SAY Gaddafi has used these poor innocent medics as bargaining chips to get something out of the EU... And he succeeded. Marc Saurel, Montreal, Canada Have your say: Libya medics Profiles: The medics |
| And he wants more support in to stem the flow of illegal immigrants crossing into southern Europe from North Africa. | And he wants more support in to stem the flow of illegal immigrants crossing into southern Europe from North Africa. |
| He will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and Immigration Minister Brice Hortefeux. | He will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and Immigration Minister Brice Hortefeux. |
| The Libyan Foreign Minister, Abdullah Shalqam, said that Mr Sarkozy's visit would give them a chance to discuss the French president's proposal for a Mediterranean union. | The Libyan Foreign Minister, Abdullah Shalqam, said that Mr Sarkozy's visit would give them a chance to discuss the French president's proposal for a Mediterranean union. |
| Mr Sarkozy had made securing the medics' freedom a foreign policy priority since taking office in May. | Mr Sarkozy had made securing the medics' freedom a foreign policy priority since taking office in May. |
| His wife, Cecilia Sarkozy, played a last-minute role in securing that release, which followed an agreement on normalising relations with the EU. | His wife, Cecilia Sarkozy, played a last-minute role in securing that release, which followed an agreement on normalising relations with the EU. |
| The US-based rights' group Human Rights Watch welcomed their release, but warned that torture and other rights abuses in Libya remained a concern. | The US-based rights' group Human Rights Watch welcomed their release, but warned that torture and other rights abuses in Libya remained a concern. |
| "The absence of a free press, the mistreatment of detainees and the need for legal reform require urgent international attention," the group said in a statement. | "The absence of a free press, the mistreatment of detainees and the need for legal reform require urgent international attention," the group said in a statement. |