France's first lady Cecilia Sarkozy said in an interview with a French newspaper that the country had offered Libya only medical help in exchange for the release of Bulgarian medics.
 
The six Bulgarian medics were sentenced to death for intentional HIV infection of more than 400 children in Libya but were later released and pardoned by Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov immediately after their return to Bulgaria.
 
Cecilia Sarkozy featured on the front pages of all newspapers in July when she became her husband's personal ambassador during the final phase of negotiations for the medics' release.
 
Sarkozy said that as far as she knew the release of the medics had been negotiated in exchange for medical help for the infected children, Agence France Presse reported as quoted by Focus news agency.
 
In recent media reports France and Libya allegedly signed contracts for military deals in exchange for the release of the Bulgarian medics.