French aide sees hope for Bulgarian nurses after first lady's trip to Libya

A presidential aide who visited Libya with the French first lady expressed optimism Friday about the fate of five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death there for allegedly infecting children with HIV.

Cecilia Sarkozy, wife of President Nicolas Sarkozy, met with Col. Moammar Ghadafi and the families of the children on Thursday, as well as with the nurses, said the aide, Claude Gueant.

He told Europe-1 radio that the families were "ready to pardon," and that Gadhafi appeared to look favorably at their arguments.

Gueant, who is secretary-general of the presidential Elysee Palace, joined the first lady on the trip a day after Libya's Supreme Court upheld death sentences for the five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor.

They have been imprisoned since 1999 and were convicted of infecting more than 400 children with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The verdict has caused an international outcry.

Libya's Supreme Judiciary Council, headed by the justice minister, is set to review the case on Monday, however, and could approve or reject the convictions, or set lighter sentences.

Gueant was optimistic about the medical workers' fate.

"There is firstly an objective element. The families whom Cecilia Sarkozy and I met in Benghazi ... whose children were contaminated with AIDS, seem, as they told us, ready to accord their pardon," Gueant said, calling this a "very important element" influencing Monday's decision.

There also was a "subjective" element in the mix: "It appeared to us that the arguments we developed with Col. Gadhafi ended by carrying the day," Gueant said.

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin appeared to share the French optimism.

"I assume there is an agreement on most of the issues at the negotiations between the group representing families of infected children, and Libyan authorities and the Gadhafi foundation," Kalfin told journalists in Sofia. "I don't want, however, to be ahead of the families in announcing when the deal is reached," he said, adding that a decision would be known by Monday.

Kalfin said the medical workers would sign a plea Saturday to be pardoned by the council.

He reiterated that Bulgaria would not pay compensation to the families of HIV-infected children because that would imply the Bulgarians were guilty.

The French aide, Gueant, said one of the arguments used to convince the Libyan leader were that commuting the death sentence would facilitate ties with nations looking to cooperate with Libya, until recently a pariah in the West.

Gadhafi "wasn't categoric, definitive in the conclusion of the meeting, but, I repeat, we can legitimately hope," Gueant said.

Sarkozy's aide welcomed the first lady's interest in diplomatic affairs _ which has raised some eyebrows in France _ saying she was the president's "best messenger." He shrugged off suggestions that Cecilia Sarkozy would make such visits "systematic," however.