Today in Brussels, the European Commission welcomed a Libyan court's decision to delay ruling in the case of six foreign medics awaiting execution for allegedly infecting 380 children with HIV. Judge Ali al-Allush said the case had been delayed until Nov. 15 but supplied no further details.

Last week, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the European Union's external relations commissioner, visited Tripoli and said of the five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor, "It is clear to me that they are under great psychological pressure and cannot go on very much longer. After more than six years in jail it's imperative that a just solution be found as a matter of urgency." Ferrero-Waldner welcomed the court's decision: "It indicates that the Libyan supreme court accepts that the original trial needs additional consideration and that the death sentence ... cannot be confirmed." All six maintain their innocence. Three who confessed said they did so only under torture.

The delay follows a weekend visit to Libya by Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov to plead for the lives of the medics. At a meeting in Luxembourg, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy welcomed the delay and predicted the six could be released in November: "We hope to have our people back in Bulgaria this year. What is important for us is that this case remains to be a priority in the relations between the EU and Libya." The EU and Washington have kept up pressure on Libya. The case has strained relations between Sofia and Tripoli at a time when Libya is seeking to return to the international fold after years of isolation.

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