Portugal Vows to Work on Bulgarian Medics Release

Politics » BULGARIA IN EU | July 2, 2007, Monday // 00:00
Bulgaria: Portugal Vows to Work on Bulgarian Medics Release Portugal's ambassador to Bulgaria, Mario Jesus dos Santos (left), outlined in Sofia Portugal's goals over the next six months as the country took over from Germany as the rotating chair of the EU. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency)

The release of five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death in Libya is one of the priorities of the Portuguese presidency of the EU, Portugal's ambassador to Sofia, Mario Jesus dos Santos said.

Dos Santos outlined on Monday Portugal's goals over the next six months as it takes over from Germany as the rotating chair of the EU.

The Portuguese presidency will work closely with European institutions and Bulgaria to ensure the nurses' return home, dos Santos said.

"It's important for us that after the intervention of the German presidency, the Portuguese one kept the issue on its agenda," Bulgaria's EU Affairs Minister Gergana Grancharova told reporters.

The five nurses and a Palestinian doctor, who received Bulgarian citizenship last month have been sentenced to death on charges of deliberately infecting 426 Libyan children with HIV in Benghazi.

Portugal took over the EU rotating presidency from Germany on Sunday, pledging to work for the successful conclusion of negotiations over the new EU treaty.

At the end of the EU summit on 21 and 22 June, Portuguese prime minister JosГ© SГіcrates announced that the Portuguese presidency would aim for negotiations to start on 23 July.

Over several months, this "intergovernmental conference" would see representatives from the EU's member countries drawing up the future EU treaty.

Other priorities include preparing the next round of the EU's growth and jobs strategy, which the Portuguese would like to focus more on innovation; immigration, legitimate and otherwise, and whether more EU countries should join the Schengen area.

Internationally, the Portuguese will concentrate on relations with Brazil, Africa and the Mediterranean.

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