The six medics arrived in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, on Tuesday morning shortly before 10 a.m. local time (0700 UTC) on a French presidential plane. They were accompanied by France's first lady, Cecilia Sarkozy, and EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner.

The medics were received by Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov and tearful relatives. Shortly thereafter Parvanov pardoned them by presidential decree for infecting 400 Libyan children with HIV/AIDS. The medics had maintained their innocence throught their eight years in Libyan custody.

Ferrero-Waldner said the release of the medics paved the way for closer relations between the EU and 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," said Ferrero-Waldner after arriving in Sofia.

Final diplomacy

Hopes were raised for the return of the five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor after talks on Monday in Libya with the European Union, backed by Sarkozy.

The medics were found guilty of deliberately infecting children with HIV/AIDS in a Benghazi hospital. They were sentenced to death, but last week Libya's Supreme Judicial Council commuted their death sentences to life in prison.

Bulgaria initiated the necessary legal proceedings to have the five nurses and a Palestinian doctor, who was granted Bulgarian citizenship, extradited to their home country.

Compensation payments

A Libyan government official confirmed that Tripoli was satisfied.

"The matter has been settled. We received guarantees for the normalisation of relations with European countries and for a partnership agreement with the European Union," the official told news service AFP.

More than 400 parents of the AIDS-infected Libyan children were awarded $1 million (725,000 euros) each in compensation Tuesday. Independent experts said the infections were caused by bad hygiene.

Bulgaria, along with Romania, joined the EU at the start of this year.