SOFIA, April 26 (Reuters) - Five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death for infecting Libyan children with HIV may be released by the end of June, a European Union diplomat said on Thursday. German ambassador to Bulgaria, Michael Geier, told Bulgarian daily Sega that talks between the European Commission and Tripoli were likely to ensure the release of the nurses, who have been detained in Libya since 1999. The five nurses and a Palestinian doctor were convicted in December of deliberately infecting 426 children in the 1990s in a highly politicised trial that hampered Libyan attempts to end decades of diplomatic isolation. "From the latest information we have in Germany, as a result of activities between the European Commission and Libya we understand that already during the German presidency the Bulgarian medics can go back home," Geier said. "Of course their return will be bound to certain conditions which at the moment are subject to talks." Germany holds the EU presidency in the first half of 2007. European Union newcomer Bulgaria and its allies in Brussels and Washington say scientific evidence shows the medics are innocent and have called repeatedly for their release. Libya's Supreme Court is expected to rule on the medics' appeal next month. In France, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said steps were being taken by France and the European Union to free the nurses. "We want the liberation of the Bulgarian nurses. And I think the next few weeks should allow us to advance towards this liberation," he told French Info Radio. Libya has indicated it may release the nurses and a Palestinian doctor if compensation -- around 10 million euros ($13.64 million) for each family -- is paid. Sofia has refused to pay compensation because it would be an admission of guilt. But it has set up a solidarity fund along with the EU and United States aimed at providing medical aid and financial support for the children and their relatives. (Additional reporting by Francois Murphy in Paris)
