The European Union on Monday agreed to lift an 18-year-old arms embargo on Libya, bowing to pressure from Italy which wants to help the former pariah state fight illegal immigration.
But EU foreign ministers also voiced continued concern over a death sentence hanging over five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian medic accused by Libyan authorities of infecting hundreds of children with the AIDS virus.
The ministers "invited Libya to respond positively to the EU's policy of engagement ... In this light, it insisted that Libya resolves remaining EU concerns, notably the case of the Bulgarian and Palestinian medical workers."
Rome has for several months been pressing its EU counterparts to lift the embargo imposed on Libya in 1986, in order to be able to deliver equipment to Tripoli to beef up its frontiers.
Sanctions were imposed on Libya because of its role in state-sponsored terrorism, including the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. They were partially eased last year, paving the way for Tripoli to compensate victims' families.
The EU eased sanctions against Tripoli in 1999 but maintained a series of restrictive measures on key products, notably military equipment, which Libya has sought in order to keep a better check on its borders.
The EU move comes amid a rapid loosening of sanctions and a thaw in relations since last year, when Tripoli took responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing and agreed to pay 2.7 billion dollars in compensation.
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