The BBC and CNN interrupted their scheduled programming on the morning of July 24 2007 to broadcast the return to Bulgaria of the six Bulgarian medics released from captivity in Libya, an event which the EU has said was necessary for moving towards fuller ties with Libya.

“This decision will open the way for a new and enhanced relationship between the EU and Libya and reinforce our ties with the Mediterranean region and the whole of Africa,” EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said in a statement on arrival in Sofia.

Ferrero-Waldner, who helped negotiate the freedom of the medics in Tripoli and flew with them to Sofia, signed a two-page memorandum of agreement with Libya. The plan maps out ways that ties could be strengthened, and confirms the medical care offered by the EU for the infected children and the Benghazi hospital.

According to a European source, the deal “covers everything, trade, support for archeology, illegal immigration, grants for students and visa questions”.

In addition, the memorandum will lead to deeper ties with the EU under a partnership accord which usually means an opening of access to the country that benefits tourism.

The deal also seeks to modernise and simplify administrative and legal processes, and to do away with some of the red tape that complicates everything from investment and commercial legal agreements to the administration of residence permits, Reuters reported.
 
Health is another main point in the agreement, as Libya modernises and re-equips its health sector in an attempt to attract international medical expertise to support this effort.

The nurses’ release is also expected to improve Libya’s sometimes uneasy relationship with the United States, as US companies are eyeing billions of dollars in deals to re-build Libya’s infrastructure, according to Reuters.

David Goldwyn, director of the US-Libya Business Association, said last year that US firms were interested in building infrastructure in sectors such as telecommunications, information technology, water, power and roads.

Libya has started to make available its large energy reserves to foreign oil firms, and the US said this month that it was sending an ambassador to Tripoli for the first time in 35 years, according to the New York Times.