Late on July 30 2007, the Arab League called on Bulgaria to respect its judicial agreement with Libya.

The statement was made because of the presidential pardon given to the six Bulgarian medics who were accused of deliberate HIV infection.

The foreign ministers of Arab countries insisted that the Bulgarian Government should honour its engagements and promises based on the bilateral agreement. They said that it was regrettable that human tragedy of this kind had been made into a political issue.

Towards the end of July, Libya called on the Arab League to break off diplomatic relations with Bulgaria after President Georgi Purvanov issued a pardon to the six Bulgarian medics who had been sentenced in Libya to life in jail.

Seif al Islam, son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddaffi, said that Purvanov’s decision had been expected. He said that he was surprised at the Libyan public’s reaction to the pardon.

Islam told Reuters that the agreement on the release of the medics had removed all obstacles to normalisation of relations between Libya and the European Union.