Bulgaria Signs Deal Formally Transferring Libya's Debt to AIDS Fund

On Monday, Bulgaria transferred Libya's decades-old debt of $56.6 million to an international relief fund set up for the more than 400 Libyan children who were infected with HIV in a hospital outbreak. The transfer was co-signed by Mark Pierini, chairperson of the Benghazi International Fund for the Libyan AIDS Victims. The agreement was part of a deal that secured the freedom of six Bulgarian medics who were sentenced to death by a Libyan court for allegedly causing the outbreak. Bulgaria maintains that the medics were not responsible for the infections and insists it has written off the debt as a goodwill gesture that should not be taken as an admission of guilt. The agreement "demonstrates that Bulgaria is a reliable partner and strictly abides by its obligations," said Feim Chaushev, the country's deputy foreign minister. After their return home this summer, Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov immediately pardoned the medics.

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