Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-03-09-Speech-3-189"
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"en.20050309.16.3-189"2
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"Mr President, on the question of the health workers detained in Libya, the Council is extremely concerned for the safety of the five Bulgarian nurses and the Palestinian doctor condemned to death on 6 May 2004. Throughout recent years, the Council has been keeping a very close watch on their trial. It has intervened on a number of occasions with the Libyan authorities at the highest level, to ensure, in particular, that they were given a fair and equitable trial, especially in view of the fact that Professors Montanier and Collezzi in their final report on the HIV virus infection in Benghazi hospital had concluded that the five nurses and the doctor were innocent.
In all its actions, the Council has always worked in close cooperation with the Bulgarian authorities and has had the support of other international partners. Bulgaria has thanked the European Union for what it has done. I met the Bulgarian Foreign Minister yesterday to discuss this matter with him once again. Bulgaria can count upon the Council’s help in the future in seeking a positive outcome to this matter. To this end, the Commission has joined with the Council so that the European Union can act in close coordination.
Irrespective of the question of responsibility for the contamination in Benghazi hospital, it is clear that the issue has aroused strong feelings, particularly among the victims’ families, but also among the population generally. This is why the Council has expressed its profound sympathy with the people infected with the virus at Benghazi hospital. It has stated its readiness to show its solidarity by a humanitarian gesture on their behalf. An action plan drawn up by the Commission is accordingly being implemented at present.
The Council now awaits a gesture from Libya.
At its meeting on 11 October 2004, the Council invited Libya to make a positive response to the European Union’s proposed policy of engagement. In this context, the Council insisted that Libya should meet the European Union’s concerns, particularly on the question of the Bulgarian and Palestinian medical personnel. The Council feels that a review of the evidence will lead Libya to conclude that a rapid release of the five Bulgarian nurses and the Palestinian doctor would be in the best interests of justice.
The Presidency assures the European Parliament that the Council will continue to treat this as a matter of high priority and will do everything in its power, in close coordination with the Bulgarian authorities, but respecting the rights of the authorities concerned, to reach the only positive outcome possible in this matter, namely the release of those sentenced."@en1
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