SECRETARY-GENERAL DEEPLY CONCERNED BY DEATH SENTENCES IN LIBYA HIV/AIDS CASE;

OFFERS un AID IN HELPING INFECTED CHILDREN, RESOLVING FATE OF MEDICS

Following is a statement by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the sentence of the Bulgarian nurses and the Palestinian doctor in Libya, issued today:

I have long been following the painful events taking place in Libya regarding the trial of the five Bulgarian nurses, the Palestinian doctor and the fate of the infected children.  I was greatly encouraged by the glimpse of hope offered by the appeals process and by the way the international community had recently come together to provide treatment and medicines to the infected children.

I am deeply concerned by confirmation of a guilty verdict and a death sentence and, therefore, appeal to the Libyan and the international community to continue working together in a spirit of reconciliation.

Once again, I offer the support of the United Nations in all efforts to address the needs of the infected children and to find a humane solution for the fate of the medics.

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For information media • not an official record