WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that she hoped to go to Libya "soon" following the return to Bulgaria of six medics freed from life sentences in Libya.
"I don't have any days or plans but I certainly hope to visit Libya," Rice told Radio Sawa, the US-funded Arabic-language broadcaster. "I sincerely hope that I will be able to visit there soon."
Her statement came as French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Tripoli for talks with Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, boosting EU-Libya ties a day after the release of six foreign medics jailed for life for infecting children with HIV.
The five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor, who have always denied the charges against them and say their confessions were extracted under torture, were flown to Bulgaria under a deal with the European Union.
They were pardoned on arrival in Sofia by Bulgarian President Georgy Parvanov.
The United States described their return as "very positive," saying it heralded "changes" in Tripoli's relations with the world.
07/25/2007 17:38 GMT