Jackson meets Libyan AIDS children
BENGASI, Libya (CNN) -- U.S. civil rights activist Jesse Jackson has met AIDS-infected children in the Libyan city of Bengasi, which Libyan authorities say were intentionally infected by international medical workers.
Jackson expressed sympathy for the children and their families, and met hospital staff and parents of the infected children.
Five Bulgarian medical personnel and a Palestinian doctor were convicted last May of spreading AIDS to 400 Libyans -- mostly children. At least 23 of the infected children reportedly died of AIDS.
Dr. Idris al-Ammari, director of Bengasi hospital, said 45 children have died from the virus.
After the arrests in February 1999, the Libyan government accused six Bulgarians and the Palestinian doctor of being part of a CIA and Israeli secret police plot. Officials later changed the accusation, alleging that they infected the Libyans as part of an experiment to develop a cure.
Several leading AIDS experts -- including Dr. Luc Montagne, co-discoverer with an American doctor of the virus that causes AIDS -- testified during the trial on behalf of the medical workers.
Montagne said he believed the Libyans were likely infected more than a year before the Bulgarians arrived in Libya.
Despite the expert testimony, a Libyan court on May 6 sentenced the Palestinian doctor and five of the Bulgarians to death by firing squad. They have appealed, but no ruling has been issued.
The sixth Bulgarian was sentenced to four years in prison for currency violations. He has already served four years since his arrest, and Bulgarian authorities are pressing for his release.
Jackson told CNN he wanted to discuss the case with the Libyans and meet with the prisoners.
He arrived in Tripoli Tuesday to meet with Libyan officials to discuss the North African nation's role in the crisis in Sudan, as well as the AIDS situation.
Jackson told CNN he particularly looked forward to a meeting with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, saying he believed Libya and Gadhafi were in a good position to play a leadership role in resolving the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Sudan's Darfur region.
"I want the conflict to be resolved so Libya can continue on its path to world leadership" Jackson said during his visit to the hospital.
The conflict in Darfur began last year when black Sudanese rebels attacked government property, accusing the government of neglecting Darfur in favor of the Arab population in Sudan. (Full story)
The Sudanese government is accused of responding by supporting the Janjaweed Arab militias to put down the rebellion.
More than a million people have been displaced because of the crisis. Jackson said he believes also that Gadhafi can help strengthen the African Union's role in resolving the problems.
CNN's Cairo Bureau Chief Ben Wedeman in Tripoli contributed to this report.
