Mark Allen, former senior UK intelligence officer and British Petroleum (BP) adviser, aided the negotiations with Libya over the fate of the five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian medic sentenced to death for deliberated HIV infection.

The case cast shadow over the political and business relations between Libya and the West, Financial Times (FT) reported.

According to the newspaper, the case could be resolved in June 2007.

The UK, which launched negotiations on the fate of the medics in 2005, and Germany hoped the case be resolved by the end of the month, before the end of German EU presidency.

UK prime minister Tony Blair met Libyan leader Muammar Gagdaffi twice, while Allen mediated between the Libyans and the Bulgarians, FT said.

Diplomats said that the parties would probably agree on the release of the medics in return for “humanitarian gesture” for the families of the infected children and economic incentives for Libya.

Allen also played main role in the negotiations in 2003, which made Libya abandon the usage of weapons of mass destruction. He later joined BP as special advisor. The company lately made an exploration deal with Libya, worth 665 million euro.