Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Ivaylo Kalfin said he was chosen to play the role of the "villain" in the strategy for solving the case of the Bulgarian medics and their consequent return to the country at a Wednesday press conference.

The country's FM and Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev held a joint press conference to provide more details on how they operated for solving the case of the Bulgarian medics during the eight years they spent jailed in Libya over accusations of deliberately infecting Libyan children with HIV.

The cabinet was accused many times that it did not provide enough information on the development of the political and diplomatic moves, but this was done because many of the moves had remain covered for the public, Kalfin said.

"Working hard for solving the case was much more important than making PR campaigns, which could add unnecessary oil to the flame," he backed his words. He also said the government was widely criticized for being too passive and was even accused it failed in protecting Bulgaria's interests on the international scene.

The strategy for saving the six medics and the Palestinian doctor included an intense dialogue with Libya, which had to be effective enough and still to be in conformity with the international pressure on Libya.

"It was the visit of the president in March 2005 that "unlocked" the talks on a higher level," Kalfin said.

He once again underlined his designated role in the process was more specific and unusual, as he had to make negative remarks on Libya and its judicial system in interviews, commentaries and general appearances in Bulgarian and international media.

The second element of the strategy has been the international pressure on Libya. Bulgaria sought political help, but was also interested in the public opinion on the case of the citizens of the other countries. The country's MP's role was to engage other countries' MPs in the process.

The trial against the medics speeded up only in the past six months prior to their release, Kalfin stated.

He thanked the EU, the EC, the US, all the countries engaged in the case, professors Vittorio Colizzi and Luc Montaignier for their research for providing relevant evidence for the innocence of the nurses and the commitment to all persons who worked for the medics' release.

The five nurses, Doctor Zdravko Georgiev and the Palestinian Ashraf Al-Hajuj returned safely to Bulgaria on Tuesday morning and were immediately pardoned by the president.

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